You want to stop drinking soda or eating potato chips (or, insert other indulgence you know is not helping your fat loss endeavors), you sincerely do. But you’ve tried so many times, and while you may have enjoyed some short- lived success, your attempts at change never seem to last long. It’s like there’s a mysterious magnetic “pull” drawing you back to your old ways – it’s like a groove you slip right back into. That’s the bad news about the power of habit. The good news is, there’s a secret to breaking bad habits and it’s right here in today’s post.
“The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably.”
– Orison Swett Marden
Entire books have been written about habits – how they are formed, how to break the bad old ones and how to form good new ones. It’s a deep subject, and one that has been investigated by psychologists more than ever in recent years, and one that I will explore more in future Burn the Fat Blog posts.
I’m fascinated by research on the subconscious and the automaticity of behavior, and I’m happy that thought leaders are challenging old notions and discovering so many new things about habits that we never realized.
However, most blog readers (most anyone, actually) are looking for simple, yet effective solutions to help break the ponderous chains of bad habits that have been binding them. That’s how I’d like to help – by giving you one simple strategy you can start working on – today!
Replacement, not removal
If a nail were driven flush into a board, you wouldn’t be able to pry it out with the claw of a hammer. That nail is in there! But you could drive it out with another nail. That’s a great analogy for how you drive out bad habits as well. The key is replacement not removal.
It’s also a psychological axiom that when you remove something, it leaves a void that begs to be filled. In the case of habits, if you don’t fill that old negative habit void with something new and positive, most people will either revert back to the old habit or replace it with another bad habit. In that sense, you could even say it’s more like a vacuum than a void.
That’s not to say that people don’t succeed by quitting bad habits cold turkey. It’s only saying that if you choose to drop a negative habit all at once, it’s even more important to replace it with a positive habit.
This means that it’s not enough to be aware of the habits you want to break, you also need to know what positive habits you must create and adopt every day to succeed, and then make the swap.
Out with the old, in with the new
For example, if you have a soda habit, instead of saying, “I’m going to stop drinking soda,” you’d say to yourself, “Every time I feel an urge to drink soda, I’m not going to do nothing, and sit there in the void feeling a soda craving, I’m going to do something else positive instead: I’m going to drink water.. maybe I’ll even have sparkling water with a dash of lemon.”
If you have a potato chip “addiction,” instead of eating nothing when the craving for that snack strikes, you could say to yourself, “I know my body doesn’t really need potato chips right now, but I am going to eat something – I’ll have some almonds or walnuts instead – I know there are healthy fats in there instead of the unhealthy fats in the chips.”
Here’s another incredible and powerful reason to use replacement instead of removal: Negative habits are often triggered by environmental or emotional cues. In that sense, triggers are usually said to work against you. But what if, by using this replacement trick, the appearance of a craving for the old unhealthy food actually became a trigger that reminds you of your goal and the healthy food you want to eat instead?
This is a secret I used during my bodybuilding competition days. I’ve developed great habits over the years, so eating healthy food every day is automatic for me now. But when you’re on a diet as strict as a competition diet, believe me, you start to experience wild cravings you never had before!
I used the same technique to overcome them that I’m recommending for you to overcome old habits. At the moment I noticed the craving – a decision point moment – I practiced linking that feeling with thinking about my new goal, how badly I wanted that goal and reminding myself what I should eat instead to reach my goal. (This of course, also requires that you have a clearly defined goal and a powerful reason why you want to achieve it. You can learn more about goals in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, Chapter 6).
A little homework
I’m not sure which healthy and /or low calorie food you want to replace your unhealthy and/or calorie-dense food habit with, but you have no shortage of choices. The examples above are just examples.
I’ve found in personal coaching sessions, that when pressed, right down to the last person, everyone can name a healthy food replacement that they actually like. I’m not saying they like it better than the old food, but they do like it and could eat it daily as part of a lifestyle plan. That’s the kind of replacement food you should choose.
So here are two questions for you to answer right now:
- What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
- What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
I find that even the most well-intentioned readers and clients often brush off exercises like this (a lot like they brush off goal-setting exercises). They seem to feel that just reading or thinking about it is enough. It’s not! Think on paper! That’s your first real action step, and it’s all about action!
Scroll down to the comments and write your food swap (what you will remove and replace it with), and you’ll be taking an important first step toward getting leaner and fitter today. You’ll also be contributing to a great community discussion that helps all our readers as well.
I look forward to your feedback and seeing your comments on future blogs
If you want to learn more mindset and mental training strategies, combined with nutrition and training tactics used by the leanest people in the world, read (or listen to) read Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
Tom Venuto, author of:
Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
Founder & CEO:
Burn the Fat Inner Circle
PS. Want to see another great way to develop fitness habits? Enter the 28-Day Burn the Fat Fitness Habits Challenge! Click this link to see when the next contest starts: www.BurnTheFatChallenge.com
Related: Habit Based Eating: How To Lose Weight Without Counting Calories
Am I really the first one? OK then…
1. Chocolate
2. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are great as long as they don’t become too sweet with excess brown sugar, marshmallows, etc.
*some* of us were travelling/out of town ;)
REplaced my cold cereal with flax Oatmeal, cocnut oil and nuts with an apple for breakfast….vast difference in feeling and proper intake…. (i Hope) ;-)
I don’t have any particular food cravings, my biggest problem is eating convenient foods. i.e. Junk people being to the office or frozen pizza or fast food for dinners when I am too tired to figure out what to cook.
I replace this by bringing my breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work and having dinner options already planned at home. Basically – I make eating healthy just as convenient! I enjoy cooking (now – definitely an acquired skill) and I feel proud when I put healthy food on the table for my family. I have found that when I have my food planned ahead, I look forward to eating that and I am not as tempted by other ‘bad food’
Last year I gave up soda and replaced it with Crystal Light drinks, herb tea, decaffeinated coffee or carbonated water. This year I have decided to give up ice cream. I will replace it with fruit smoothies made with nonfat yogurt and protein or by making a protein drink and freezing it until it is slushy. Gradually I will whittle The Terrible 12 out of my diet.
You may have heard of the yonana machine? Excellent alternative to ice cream! And my kids even love it, they don’t even realize its healthy! ;-)
i had to google that, thanks for the tip
Replacing my daily Monster energy drink (or 2 yikes!) with a big glass of ice water with a slice of lemon or lime.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
This year I’ll be replacing my morning latte with a high impact shake.
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
The shake will contain…The ingredients:
2 scoops whey (ultra peptide 2.0)
1 spoon spirulina
1 carrot
1 apple
1 cup Greek yogurt
Kale
Whole milk
So here are two questions for you to answer right now:
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace? My unhealthy food habit is that I wait to long for my first meal of the day
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense? Well technically my habit is less calorie dense but I get paid back by being very hungry in the evening! I will switch my thyroid medicines to the evening (I have my docs ok) so that I do not have to have the food delay of the medication.
1. I need to give up refined sugar!
2. I am going to eat more natural sugars in the form of fruit. When I’m super tempted, I’ll use stevia, but not make it a habit!!!
Great blog, very useful, and a good reminder. My ‘guilty pleasures’ are chocolate and coca cola. If I can replace those with alternatives, I have very few problems with food. I have also found that when I get moving in the right direction, I tend to build momentum that increases my power to resist. If I resist or substitute once, I can do it again. Pretty soon, my desires change.
Thanks Tom.
thanks mike. yep, momentum builds and builds and it gets easier, until, voila! new habit. keep up the good work
All of your advice is fantastic. You break it down to be simple and best of all, it’s mostly common sense. A lot of people over think and stress when it comes to getting in shape and that usually makes them fail.
What has kept me on track for the last 6 yrs.:
1. Mashed frozen banana instead of ice cream
2. Hard boiled egg whites instead of fast food
3. Kashi bars & almonds instead of chips
4. Oatmeal, peanut butter raisin bites instead of sweets
5. Oatmeal instead of cereal
If its always in my fridge, I have no excuse.
I know I’m screwing up if I go into the pantry for food unless its for raisins, almonds, kashi bars, figs or oatmeal.
it IS simple AND mostly common sense… just not common practice! good ideas, thanks and also the part about keeping those substitute foods well stocked (good healthy stuff: in stock; at arms reach, unhealthy stuff: out of sight, out of mind)
two questions for you to answer right now:
1. What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
2. What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
OK!!
1. Particularly after Christmas – chocolates – but there is nearly always sweet cakes at work and I never say no.
2. Always have a container of 20g dried dates and 15g raw almonds and eat that instead. Or eat 1 date instead of a chocolate.
Great post, thanks Tom, need this technique! :-)
I have two habits:
1. Swap butter on toast for baked pumpkin (I love the soft, sweet warmth of fresh baked pumpkin!)
2. Swap sleeping in for the chance to say hi to my family in the morning before they leave for work
I am going to replace chocolate with yogurt and fruit!
1. I want to quit my diet soda “addiction”. Diet sodas are as bad as(if not more)regular sugar laden sodas!
2. I’m gonna replace it with ice water or iced green tea.
Thanks for such a good article Tom !
I want to replace eating chocolate with eating homemade protien nut bars
I am going to give up diet soda
I will replace it with tea and water with crushed ice.
1. Bad Habit: Chips or crackers before dinner.
2. Replacement: Carrot sticks, celery, cherry tomatoes.
Diet Dr. Pepper! It may not have calories, but I have read that it can still affect your eating patterns. Plus, it’s associated with migraines which I struggle with. Replacement…sparkling water and decaf iced tea!
I want very much to replace soda with water!!
I am going to give up dates and replace them with apples (sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon)
Courtney
1. replace lg glass orange juice
2. with real herbal tea (no sweetener)
Working towards replacing sugar in my diet is my 2014 goal, and ensuring that includes eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup.
In order to replace it, I’d like to find a “life diet” that is healthy, simple, and will augment my gym workouts too. I think if I can eat healthy every several hours, I might be able to kick the sugar habit.
I recently started “juicing” and find that 1-2 servings of juice each day is a big help, but I can always use more help !
Thanks for your help and dedication to healthy lifestyles !
swapping the sugar for healthy juice from whole foods will get you off to a good start bill
Tom, I always enjoy how much your care about your readers, sharing grrreat advice and tips. Habits are DEFINITELY bad to break, especially if they hinder being fit and healthy. PROCESSED Sugar is my Nemesis. I made a determination, and promptly broke it when offered a scone from someone when we were out and about (sigh…I love the quote you had in your article The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably.” I just need to take it one day at a time to break the Sugar habit an exercise more THANKS!
thank YOU. one day at a time.
Cant stop eating sweets. Love sugar. Going to try to eat more fruit thats actually good for you.
1) too much red meat, not enough fish, fowl, vegies n fruit
2) Keep cold homemade v-8 type juice in fridge all the time, more fresh fruit n vegies ready to eat so easy to grab. The meat v. fish/fowl is tougher though, no one in my household cares much for fish/fowl but will make a concerted effort to eat at least one meal of each per week and also have a meatless meal one time per week.
Hi
I do not know if this is such a great idea butI am about to try and transform my life and body, I am about 42kg overweight you see. I want to reduce my carb intake but I do enjoy a sandwich, however I have worried about the bread element to a sandwich and what I am going to do is use lettuce (like iceberg or little gem) instead as a wrap to up my leafy greens and cut out bread.
So my entry is
Bread – to be replaced by ->
Lettuce
I entered this for fun and thought the lettuce idea might appeal to someone else looking for a new way of making a sandwich, I am actually waiting for BTF,FTM to arrive as I ordered it online yesterday to help me in my journey. If my name comes out of the hat please give the copy to someone else who might be helped by the book.
Cheers
Paul
It’s interesting because I’ve done this strategy in the past like, for example, replacing my chocolate cravings with hot cocoa made with water (no sugar!) and it had worked really well!
But we always have something to improve, so for this time:
1. What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
I always have this craving on cereal that makes me eat a handful of cereal directly from the box (it’s embarrassing)
2. What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
I may change it with 5-6 almonds or maybe with baby carrots.
Thank you for sharing all this knowledge with us!
good ones!
I’ve been receiving your newsletter for almost 2 years. Always
Good, informative reading and perspectives. I especially
Like this one on habits!!!
thanks christina. publishing a newsletter online now since 1999… boy that makes me pretty old in internet years, LOL. will keep them coming!
I will replace candy and chocolate with fruit.
When I get home from work, I am so hungry, I eat anything I see. So instead of grabbing fast finger food, I will grab fast healthy food I love like sugar snap peas, pomegranate, almonds, apple with natural peanut butter. In order to keep myself from getting bored, I’ll rotate these foods AND will prepare them in advance for quick and easy access.
My second habit to replace is sweets after dinner. Instead of reaching for cookies, I’ll replace it with chai tea, one of my absolute favorite warm drinks.
I cannot stop eating. I exercise but I eat, and eat, and eat.
here’s your substitution / swap. stop saying you can’t and change to a new affirmation what you can do. start out with a goal card in the beginning: http://www.burnthefatfeedthemuscle.com/burn_the_fat_feed_the_muscle_goal_card.html once you have the mental side side changed, the physical changes will be a lot easier. You can do it just remember, mental + physical, thats what our whole “burn the fat’ philosophy is about
In the evenings, couple of hours after dinner, I’m often drawn to the cupboard for some sort of a heavy bread fix. I’m going to replace it with a bowl of Greek yogurt, raspberries and some pumpkin seeds. I did this tonight after reading your article. It took more time to eat, it was more satisfying and generally better for my macros. Also it didn’t leave me craving more! Winner:)
My addiction is salty snacks and I can easily overindulge with chips. I will replace them with a handful of pumpkin seeds or nuts which should give me the crunch and salt satisfaction.
I like to have a soda every now and then. To replace it I will have either a cup or two of vanilla almond milk or water. I should be drinking more water anyway.
Hello,
my guilty indulgence is kettle chips and Vegan chocolate cake. Perhaps a better choice or alternate selection would be flat bread with sun dried Tomato pesto. And, home made Vegan protein bars with chia and hemp seeds, sooo good!
Thanks,
Sean in Vancouver, BC
yeah, sounds good!
want to give up: Late night carb snacks like pretzels, cookies, chips
eat instead: 1 celery stalk with peanut butter or nutella
1. sugary foods …
2. i’m starting off by eating foods with a lower sugar content as i wean myself off of the sugar … i’m reading food labels more closely now … snacking on almonds and other nuts when i feel like eating a piece of candy … trying to eat more organic foods; grass-fed beef, wild caught salmon, etc.
1. The unhealthy food habit I want to replace is: eating pepperoni. I know mentally that all the nitrates and nitrites and preservatives are really bad for me, but I still crave spicy food.
2.The food I am going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense is: jicama seasoned with fresh lime juice and chili powder. Not only is this more nutritious, but it’s got the zing from the lime plus the spice from the chili powder. One recipe I’ve seen calls for one jicama (julienned into thin strips) with 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 2 tablespoons chili powder sprinkled on top.
Mine is pizza. I keep coming back to its delicious goodness.
heh… i come back to it too.. just NOT that often! :-) (no one ever said anything about never eating pizza again…. lol!) :-)
Replace a piece of cake at work with a rice cake with warmed almond butter and a few slices of banana. That should satisfy me.
I want to stop my soda habit. I have cut back but would like to stop completely.
I am going to swap my soda for iced tea and or ice water.
It is not a specific food I am looking to replace, it is the habit of eating when bored or for emotional reasons. I am going to replace that with checking my true hunger level before eating & if I’m not really hungry, then I will go for a walk or do something else productive. I’m also going to sign up for the 28 day challenge for some motivation!
I really like that strategy of linking a craving with thinking about the goal…so simple, yet potentially powerful. Thank you, Tom.
I love chocolates…and they’re hard to replace.
But in deference to my goal, I’ll try having a piece of dried fruit instead, like an apricot or prune. :)
yep, worked for me!
One of my bad habits is eating chips as a snack.
I want to replace them with raw veggies.
Thank you for this challenge!
Pepsi
Water
I replaced breakfast with a protein shake. And when I get that craving for something sweet in the afternoon I go for an apple or pineapple instead of a candy bar. It truly has helped. And when I think I need that afternoon caffine jolt…..i started drinking hot decaf green tea. It just seems to work even when I didn’t believe it would.
1. When cholate or ice cream cravings come
2. Replace it with healthy fruit or greek yoghurt!
Ah, this is a GREAT reminder and article! I think it’s SO true that a bad habit can’t just go void, but needs to be replaced. I am 5 years off pop (used to LOVE Diet Dr Pepper) but I did replace it with carbonated water like talking rain with flavored stevia. Does it taste exactly the same? NO, but it totally does the job and now I never crave pop…..I have a replacement. Also, I have to say, the vegetable Jicama is AMAZING and I can eat that whenever I want a snack. (that is the only vegetable that I can say that about.) It’s sweet and crunchy.
I will trade up eating almond crackers by eating Bubbies Dill Pickles (great crunch with only 5 calories per pickle!)
LOL, Good one! Bubbies makes some good stuff! Full of probiotics too :)
I gave up soda with ice water several years ago and don’t desire soda at all now. I now have to reduce my desire for dessert and so far replacing it with sugar free gum is working. I get the sweetness and the satisfaction of chewing.
Addiction: salty potato chips
Replacement: salted hard boiled egg
Great article. It is so true that the more you eat something, the more you will crave it, and the less you eat something, the less you will crave it. Thats because the behavior creates a groove in the brain.
Every time you perform the behavior the deeper the groove (or the neuron connections) in the brain. So we must re-wire the brain. If you abstain from a behavior long enough (now they are saying not 21 days but at least 60 days) the brain’s marvelous plasticity actually re-wires the neuronal connections.
Great advice too about positive replacement. I want to my impulsivity with food with only eating whats on my food plan for the day.
1) Chocolate and sweet stuff. Crave it alll the time.
2) Planning to replace that with homemade granola bars made of oats, sliced almonds, raisins, dates n a sprinkle of mini dark chocolate chips. I love cooking so this is great for me!
Starbucks addiction!
1 eating peanut butter and jam after finishing work at midnight ( shift worker).
2 changing to a protein shake with unsweetened almond milk.
Replace French fries with a baked potato
I usually eat well during the week because I take my food to work every day. I get in trouble on the weekends and I tend to sabatoge my efforts made during the week. I typically go out to restaurants on the weekends because I’ve run out of food and I need to go grocery shopping, and feel entitled to eat what I want because I was so good during the week. I have 3 solutions:
1. I’m going to ask the server for a “to go” box when I get my meal at a restaurant.
2. I’m going to make smarter choices on the menu when I go out to eat, and work on my entitlement issues. Every menu has calorie contents next to the items on the menu. There is really no excuse now.
3. I’m going to go grocery shopping earlier in the week and/or buy more food so that I don’t run out of food and have to eat out on the weekends.
I have used your method without realising it in the past – chocolate for more healthy, coconut sweetened chocolate less often ( because it’s expensive). I reinforce this change by reminding myself of all the benefits of my new change. The brain is so incredibly powerful. If I could just ditch my coffee habit !
1. SSB
2. Lime mineral water or oolong tea.
Your idea of imagining your goal is excellent.
1. Chips
2. A premeasured serving of nuts
I find that doing 5 minutes of isometrics wherever I’m at plus at least 12 ounces of water dislodges my hunger- 110 lbs in 16 months-YES!
Brilliant idea too! As long as your calories are coming in what they should for the day :) I too usually find that hunger goes away when I start working out (unless I am uber hungry & start getting shakies :p ). Congratulations on 110lbs! Must feel awesome!
1) Energy Drinks
2) Homemade Protein/Granola Bars
1. chocolate
2. Fresh pineapple
I am replacing my evening cocktail or glass of wine with a cup of spicy herbal tea.
I have developed a nasty habit of eating little Hershey chocolates from the candy bowl at work after lunch.
I will replace this with a cup of green tea instead.
Thanks Tom!
ooooh… the “deadly” candy dish…. put it out of eyesight. ever see this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6oJF9Hwj2M
Awesome link Tom! Thanks! There are a number of psychological studies done on candy dishes and eating habits. :)
Unfortunately….this candy dish is two aisles over…about 20 feet out of site…and yet has the gravitational pull of a black hole. I didn’t used to do it, but it’s become a bad habit. Time to interrupt and replace.
Thanks Tom for the link. It also lead me to this one by him:
http://youtu.be/fDo7MZji-Qs
Helps also explain why those bars with short glasses tend to have stiffer drinks!
black hole, lol. thanks for the link. Wansink is a good one to follow / read
Sunday-Thursday – my diet is perfect. But then Friday night I get home from work late, and eat crap. And then on Saturdays, I eat perfect, but I have a few beers and we go out for dinner. All of that is fine if I would just know that that is what I’m going to do and make up for those calories by reducing my morning and lunch intake.
So I guess my “replacement” or solution is to think more about what I plan on eating and drinking at night so I can eat less throughout the day to make up for it.
1.What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
grabbing fast frozen meals when I get home from work
2.What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
bagged salad kits with only half the dressing packet
1. A cup of noddles with a 355 mL glass coke
2. Low-fat yogurt with almonds
1. chips
2. I try kale or almonds
1. Cheese
2. Nuts
1. chocolate
2. cocoa dusted almonds
Bad habit; mcdonalds sausage and egg muffin
Replacement; home made version with wholemeal muffin and REAL meat (unprocessed)
1. Ice Cream
2. Low sugar Greek Yogurt
Hi Tom !!
I want to get rid of my sugar cravings.
My approach is to eat meals high in protein and veggies(keep me satisfied longer)
Fruits..mostly berry type can help with the sugar cravings.
Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
People love the new, so if each day/week we replace a not so good food or habit with a new fresh healthier alternative and broke the bigger picture up into more manageable steps, eventually the puzzle comes together and reveals itself.
My bad habits are eating on the run, not eating enough, and ….pastries. I love pastries.
I will change these habits by giving myself enough time to eat (particularly in the morning), planning ahead, and reserving the baked goods for special occasions!
1. Drink less coffee and more plain water.
2. Eat less dark chocolate covered nuts and eat more plain nuts.
The unhealthy habit I am going to give up is diet soda, specifically my crutch diet MT Dew.
I am going to replace it with water that I will flavor with a little bit if BCAAs. To make sure do it I have 1 gallon jugs at my home and on my desk at work.
I am 17 weeks out from my first men’s physique competition and I have been wanting to ditch the diet soda. Thanks for the challenge!
Cream Cheese and Canned Coconut Milk – runaway train with these.
1. Drinking Pepsi
2. Drinking water with lemon
Rice cakes
Yams
Nuts for chips!!! Why didn’t I think of that? Brilliant.
I have had a total addiction to eating tortilla chips. Once i start, I have a hard time stopping. I could easily polish off a whole bag. I plan to replace this bad habit with fresh sliced zucchini or sliced cucumber. Still will give me a good crunch, and guilt-free!
1. I often give in to my sugar cravings.
2. I am going to grab some almonds and some fruit from now on
Great strategy on using replacements. Instead of cold cereal for breakfast, I have old fashioned or steel cut oatmeal and hard boiled eggs.
1. Ice cream
2. Having Greek yogurt and fruit
Chocolate and ice cream.
Replacing with a baked apple. Cut up, core and cut off stem and blossom end. Microwave until soft 8-10 min for one apple in a covered glass dish. Let cool slightly and eat while warm. Seems sweeter than a “raw” apple.
This is a good one too! I forgot about this one! Put some cinnamon & nutmeg on it. Or pumpkin pie spice. It tastes like apple pie ;)
A daily habit that needs to change and be replaced is my evening overeating . It is a habit that keeps me from making progress and keeps me in an ongoing sabotage mode.
I can replace it with another distraction maybe searching pinterest for motivation or re-reading Tom’s tips and newsletters as well as seeing before and afters. Keep me focused , motivated, and reinforce that it can and has been done by many with a longer road than myself.
Although I eat healthy foods, by that I mean im not into soda drinks, fast foods etc, I do tend to over eat foods I like such as italian, indian and Chinese, most I cook myself.
Having coached and played Tennis and competitive in most sports ive always been able to set goals to get my weight back to normal. The reason it gets out is due to being a travelling as a rep and the limited choices on the road for descent foods.
So the unhealthy food habit is fats that are present in all my healthy foods.
My action is to cut back my fats to approx 20-25% of my calories and to do this I will limit my food choices to those I know have limited fat and add my own healthy fats to maintain my goal. For an example fried rice for just plain brown rice as its impossible to know the total amount of fats and calories per serving with all the combined ingredients.
My foods will consist mainly oats, eggs/egg whites, lean cuts of beef, all seafood, low fat yogurt, sweet potato and broccoli as staples but I love most veggies so every meal will consist of around 40 grams protein and the rest of my calories from veg and salads.
But the most critical action for me is making sure I have my camp fridge in the car at all times and I prepare all my meals for the day/week or I will fail. You just cannot get healthy food on the road, you cannot know what is in your food and you definitely do not know the calories to maintain a deficit.
I intend to give up artificial sweetener
I will order some good quality stevia and use fruit to flavor my water.
When sweets are calling my name (usually in the afternoon, evening, or just before bed, I’m going to replace it with a handful of almonds in homemade Greek yogurt.
Maybe not the best replacement, but better than the alternative.
Scott…
sounds good to me… I love me some greek yogurt… plain or vanilla, with a couple tsp of natural peanut butter and once scoop of choc protein powder = like choc peanut butter pudding! :-)
Hi Tom, I already purchased your book, but if I win the autographed copy I’ll give my original to my neighbor. ;-)
The unhealthy food habit I want to replace is solid chocolate candy bars?
My ideal replacement that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense would be a couple almonds w/ a slight drizzle of 80% dark cocoa.
Eventually leading to plain almonds.
I used to love ice cream, and would often have 4 or 5 different kinds in the freezer at home. I made a conscious decision to stop that and replaced it with low fat yogurt, all different kinds. It’s gotten normal to reach for that as a treat instead.
I want this book so bad!
Potatoe chips
Fat free Greek yogurt and grapes
1. Sugar
2. Grapes/bananas/Fuji apples
Please send info on how to get your book. Thanks!!
This is very good advice….It works I did it with the soda drinks a few years back and to this day haven’t touched any carbonated drinks thank you for sharing.
I realized this week that the cheeze-its I’ve been eating, not too many but as a little snack, have msg in them. I need to replace them, I think with almonds as a start.
My unhealthy food habit isn’t a particular food – it’s eating too large portions of healthy food.
I’ll change my overeating habit by and reducing the portions of starchy carbs and protein increasing the portions of fibrous vegetables – I’m aiming for 5-7 portions of veggies a day
I used to crave cookies, cakes, and other sweets. I am replacing them with fruit..especially oranges that are in season now.
1. AM Pastries
2. Protein shake or oatmeal
Tom,
Thank you for these concepts. I would enjoy your book.
Bad habit: sweets, chocolates.
Replace with: 99%-100% chocolates, making sweets myself using less sugar(only using glucose or coconut sugar).
I’d like to eat less chocolate, even though I only each 70% cocoa chocolate, I eat too much!
I do enjoy Dutch cocoa powder and a spoonful kills the chocolate cravings and leaves me satisfied, so I am going to keep the cocoa container handy and have a small spoonful when I crave chocolate.
1. Mountain Dew
2. Iced tea
I’m at that critical place now…I MUST do something too SAVE my life !!
My bad habit is too much ALCOHOL !!
I will replace it with WATER…cause I. don’t drink enough of it !
I weigh 221 lbs, I’ m 64…I use to be healthy !
My ideal wt. is 145 lbs
I’m ready to LIVE again.
once change at a time, focus on that one habit that is really critical and get support from friends, family or online community. you’ll do it.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?years ago we overhauled how we eat (my family). The thing that I would like to replace is my powdered coffee creamer,.
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
A whole food type creamer (coconut milk) would be a better choice b/c it is a whole food not a chemical mixture.
1) Chocolate and sweets.
2) Fruit or a serving of oatmeal with a little fruit mixed in.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
Chips
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
Cucumber slices
i’m gonna replace roasted turkey wings (too greasy & heavy) with fish and chocolate desserts (even though natural) with grapes or other fruit.
great post!! thank you.
1. Unhealthy food: digestive biscuits (extremely addictive!)
2. Healthy replacement: baby carrots
1. The unhealthy eating habit I want to get rid of is reaching for too many servings of chocolate candy or a whole sleeve of salty crackers when hungry mid morning or mid afternoon.
2. I will replace these unhealthy habits with a sensible portion of almonds, a crunchy apple or Greek yogurt. If you have a better suggestion, I’ll highly consider it.
I am proud to say that I gave up sodas (sugar culprits) and potato chips (greasy mess) 12 years ago. But I can’t bring myself to banish ice cream from my life!
would love to read more about this!!!!
will write more in the future on this topic for sure!
I need to get rid of my Chocolate habit so when I have a craving Ill swap it for a choc protein shake or protein bar.
1. Eliminate sugars simple sugars
2. More coconut oil
Candy bar late at night
Walnuts or almonds instead
Thanks
Kenny
1. Corn chips
2. I’ll replace it with crispy, juicy snap peas. Yummy!
My bad habit is eating too large portions. I’m replacing that with portion control by weighing what I eat and keeping a log of what I put in my mouth even though I meal plan. Sometimes the plan is spot on but I eat too much in practice.
Hi I’m 52 and have always been health and fitness conscious however after going through menopause cannot get rid of a large pad of fat on my stomach so this year I want to give up my daily cappuccino and replace with herbal teas, also whenever I go for a square of chocolate or lolly thinking one won’t hurt replace with some almonds, fruit or glass water
Old Food: Doritos
New Food: Carrots and hummus
Great article, thank you!
1. Pepsi cola drinking is a bad habit for me
2. I will replace it with drinking plain water
Bad habit : wine with my dinner most nights
Replacement : sugar free squash/green tea
1. Cheese & crackers
2. Cucumber, capsicum & carrot sticks with low fat hommus
I have started more of veggies and non vegeterian is only for weekends. I munch on more fruits than pastries.
Will start my gym again atleast twice a week.
ive replaced turning on the tv with DIY abd gardening especially growing vegetables. I used to flick through channels bored and then eat comfort food. now I sont have time and my house looks great
1- pizza.
2- trying to replace it with apples, bannanas maybe.
Going through radiotherapy for breast cancer as well as needing to burn the fat I am now substituting red wine for beet juice and white wine for water with lemon juice Also ginger and apple juice. It’s got a kick but boy its delicious :-D
I have replaced my sugars with fresh curd made @ home. I have also started eating nuts instead of bakery stuffs for an evening meal
I had a huge potato chip addiction, I’d buy two 150g packets for the entire week and then, almost always end up finishing each or maybe both in one day….it really became a problem, felt really bad after consuming but the cycle never ended with that ‘feeling’. I tried to go cold turkey, that didn’t do me any good, then I decided to replace fatty fried potato chips with home-made baked French fries, I bought 3 medium sized russet potatoes for the entire week (decided I’ll only have them once a while) and everytime I wanted chips, I’d peel one potato, chop ’em up, soak it in water for 15 minutes to remove the starch, season it with garlic powder, chilli powder and oil and bake it. This is my first week, trying it and I still have one potato left!!! I was really happy when I saw this mail today because I was doing the exact same thing!!! I’m having a similar problem with cookies as well, so now I’ve decided to make them from scratch instead of buying the store bought ones. I guess, for me, ease of access means everything, if I can just open a pack and have it rather than making them from scratch, I’d go for the former…
Anyways, so happy I got rid of this problem!!!!:))
Oops….forgot I mention that I started to experiment this idea last week!!! :D
sounds good… and… ‘great minds think alike’ and all…
I have a well defined personal goal for June this year.
The two things I am going to replace are sugary sodas for sparkling water and complex carbohydrates to be replaced with slow release carbohydrates
I’m going to replace unhealthy, picked up on the go, lunches at work i.e. cheese filled panini’s with bringing my own lunch of porridge with blueberries and nuts/seeds.
I like different kinds of Candy I am going to replace with
Almonds or brocolli.
I have a major sweet tooth so I’m always seeking alternatives.
I tend to replace these cravings with sweet protein recipes or peanut butter recipes.
Great information, most of which I’ve been preaching for years. I love the thread analogy as it relates to our habits and how, with repetition, we add more filaments and strengthen these habits, good or bad. Want to curb your cravings for X? Stop consuming X or anything that resembles X.
1. Lose It: Trail Mix loaded with raisins, chocolates and other candies
2: Replace It: Snap Peas
Hi,
I am leaving Mac Fries ( I am not sure if I will be able to hold it long as I love them the most) to a Banana and Apple each. I consume Mc fries twice a day. At around 11 AM will replace by a Banana and at around 7PM will have an apple.
If I could leave for 7 days will be able to keep this habit and I am sure to have this good habit of fruits instead of fries.
Bad habits: diet Pepsi and sugar-laden lattes
To be replaced with: sparkling flavoured water (my weakness is the fizz in soda…not necessarily even the caffeine). And decaf americanos to replace the lattes
My unhealthy food habit I want to replace is cheese.
I’m going to eat nutritional yeast instead which is less calorically and more nutrient dense.
1.What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
2.What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
I have a major sweet tooth. I have replaced chocolates, mousse, cheesecake, even jelly lollies for clean homemade versions. I now oven bake sweet potato fries and make icecream from fruit and greek yoghurt for my children. My last final change is to remove diet coke – I have significantly reduced it down to once per week, I will give sparkling water a go.
Replace candy w/ fruit!
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
Chocolate
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
Fruit
I will replace by daily diet soda with fruit infused water.
Chocolate
Carrots
Cookie style snacks and treats seem to be one of my biggest draws with a craving for sweet in the evening follow by just a wish to munch.
I am avoiding by having Yogurt with berries or an apple for the mindless grab when going past the cupboard. I also (for the past week) have avoided any eating after dinner. When it get “strong” I go off to bed!
Mine is not a particular food but rather an occasional binge. Can’t help myself.
If I get a candy or chocolate urge I eat a piece if fruit
1. Milk – I guzzle it.
2. Naturally Flavored Water – Lime, Lemon, cinnamon, or cucumber…
I will replace my daily ice cream cone habit with a Yonana machine cone!
The unhealthy habit that I want to remove and replace is the need for sweets. It can be a candy bar, chocolate shake( and I’m lactose intolerant ) or biscotti that I dip in my coffee. I love bananas and I know they have a lot of sugar, but healthy sugar ,so I am going to make a protein ( nondairy) shake with natural peanut butter and bananas in the afternoon. I can replace these sugar cravings with fruit instead. Thank you for your books Tom, it all makes sense!
hi tom,find using raisins when I want something sweet really helps
My weakness/bad habit is chips. I decided that I am not going to buy them anymore because if they’re in the house, it doesn’t matter how much will power I have, I will eventually eat them. I will replace the chips with thinly sliced cucumber with a little hot sauce and salt.
test
1. I really enjoy kettle chips right before bedtime.
2. My substitute is a gala apple, sweet and juicy!
I am giving up taco chips of every form for thin zucchini variations! I found some awesome recipes that replace all forms if chips with veggies! Is there any healthy chip out there better than a veggie?
1. Coffee chillers
2.replace with fruit smoothies
1. Sugary foods such as chocolates, biscuits.
2. I will replace these with fruit like bananas and apples.
1. Soda
2. Vitaminwater Zero
Bad habit: reaching for my son’s whole wheat crackers
Instead: homemade protein bar bites
Thank you.
I want to replace ice cream with a delicious protein fluff.
Blend 200g of frozen berries or tart cherries with 130ml milk, than add 20g protein powder (I prefer neutral, w/o any artifical sweeteners or sugar) some cinnamon, vanilla and stevia and whip for at least five minutes:)
Excellent article! We as a society live in this “convenience” world. People need to be aware of the health hazards of processed crap and start eating real food. Like many others, my issue is sugar and when I have that craving, I vowed to drink water…..mind over matter and it’s working for me:) I also added eating “something” green to every meal…11 days into the new year and still going strong!
1) I eat pretty well most of the day and then I get a strong craving for sweets after dinner. I wind up eating way too many cookies or some other kind of sweet food.
2) I’m going to replace these bad sweets with a small amount of fruit and low sugar Greek yogurt.
The nuts for chips substitution sounds super!
I drink Yerba Mate and a lot of water. ..
I am going to replace my “beloved” chocolate with nuts.
I would like to give up crackers and chips
and replace them with unsalted nuts and air popped pop corn
I don’t really get cravings, but my unhealthy food habit is not preparing food in advance so at times when I’m too tired to cook, I go buy fast food. :( So my remedy for this is to prepare meals in advance, or at least do all the prep work, so that all I have to do is heat it up. And for the times I’m out and need to eat, I’m going to carry healthy stuff like fruit and beef jerky in the car.
I used to eat a large, high fat muffin every morning. Now, I eat oatmeal and a piece of fruit. I have much more energy in the morning now.
I will replace Chocolate with a serving of
Almonds
Incredible info, always helps me in my day to day health choices and competition planning.
1. Coffee, with cream and artificial sweetener
2. Green Tea!
I’ve already started this at work, and feel way better.
Over the years I’ve tried a lot of different diet plans to lose and keep weight off… and when I really want results, I always end up going back to my (now many years old!) copy of BFFM. It’s the best and most practical advice out there. Thanks Tom!
green tea FTW!…. . I keep hearing about so many people “coming back” to BFFM after years, or trying some other stuff that they found out wasnt balanced or just didnt suit them… thanks!
I have fallen back into the habit of having a drink (beer, wine…)or 2 at night.
I will start replacing it with herbal sleepy time tea or water.
I want to get rid of the empty white/yellow carb habit – chips bread popcorn whatever – it IS an addiction I just fell to yesterday after awesome garlic bread at my sister’s and I had such an “off the wagon” experience I actually feel SHAME this morning
The replacement I love and have used in the past is carrots!! Cuz the crunchy chewing is part of the experience. SO – there will always be crunchy carrots available (there are some in the frig right now and there is a market steps from my pastry-laden job) and I will use the minimum “chew 26 times before swallowing” each mouthful to satisfy that part of the addiction….
I begin TODAY!
I can always count on great info from you, Tom. I submitted a video review of BFFM on my website, too :)
1. Replace chips with
2. Spicy roasted chickpeas or edamame
Thanks!!! spicy roasted chickpeas!
I have been mixing apple cider vinegar, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and aloe juice in a large container. Then I add a couple of ounces of this into a glass of water and drink this in place of diet soda. I am doing this to limit my intake of diet soda from several a day to several a week.
1. For the most part, I am very strict with my food choices, but I sometimes like to snack on breakfast cereal, which is highly processed and can elevate my insulin levels and slow my fat loss goals.
2.My go to replacement is old fashioned oats with whey protein. No quick oats here! Consuming protein with the complex carbs really helps when I am in the prep stage before a show. A Greek yogurt with a serving of nuts can serve as another replacement when I’m tired of oats.
I need to replace my coffee (w/lots of cream & sugar)
with green tea (w/maybe a little stevia)
1. One recent bad habit is over-reliance on “healthy” processed food like Quest bars.
2. I shall strive to have more whole foods, while maintaining a good overall macronutrient profile.
I’m going to replace eating chocolate with dried raisins.
I bought your online stuff like 10 yr ago!!! Great stuff!
#ORIGINALBFFMER! :-)
1. Bread!
2. Nuts
two questions for you to answer right now:
1. What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
2. What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
I have a habit of snacking while I am on the computer, usually crackers. I want to stop the need to snack while surfing by first replacing the crackers with tea, then nothing at all.
I’m going to replace diet soda with water (with lemon/lime) or green tea
Bad food: Chocolate
Replacement: A fruit
Great advice, Tom!
Green tea for coffee!
yep, i do that sometimes (not that I drink too much coffee or anything hee hee… sip… )….
need to replace my nightly glass of wine (which is way more than a serving) with a cup or two of tea.
Sat down to watch a movie with my teenage son last night – instead of a large plate of jalapeno nachos with lots of cheese and sour cream, had a large plate carrots/broccoli/cauliflower/tomatoes/snap peas and lite ranch dressing instead. Felt proud and stronger after the movie instead of sluggish and disappointed with myself.
Good snack! veggies with lite ranch! I like. It really does FEEL good after making a “better choice” doesnt it? Keep up the great work!
I am not affiliated with the brand (or anything I have posted :) Other than maybe the psychology comment above lol), but I have been impressed with Bolthouse dressings. They are lower in calories, plus they don’t have a lot of additives & fillers like a lot of the other stuff. There may be other brands out there too I am not familiar with too :)
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
My need to cap off my dinner with a sweet treat.
I will replace my usual treat with a piece of 90% dark chocolate or cottage cheese blended with sugar free jello. The cottage cheese will give me the extra protein I need.
The habit I want to break is wnating and eating sugary food in the late afternoon.
I am repalcing this with eating fruit (having a frozen banana available, my favourite) and making ahead some sugar-free treats
Excellent advice. I have been training and dieting for 20+ years and had never considered your replacement theory as a way to break bad habits. This makes too much sense. Well said…
One bad habit I would like to replace is eating things I don’t need just to avoid stocking up old food/leftovers or throwing it away.
I would like to do this by reminding myself that it is a lot better to waste food than to waist it. It is so much easier to bin the food than to get rid of it once it has settled down in the body. When a person eats above his/her requirement it is a waste as it is not reaching a hungry mouth that needs the food.
Thats a good point – i talked about that in my last book body fat solution. Well, if its yummy food, it shouldnt be too hard to find friends or family to help devour the left-overs…. or just freeze/ refrigerate and finish off one small portion at a time… actually lots of “Burners” cook in bulk for that very reason.
Thank you so much for making a post based on habits. One of my downfalls in starting a regimen is always consistency and slipping back into old habits.
its all about consistency!
Mine is chips and dip, any kind. My replacement is apple slices and PB2 with apples. I can even grind up a little sea salt in it if I need that salty twang!
Problematic food: Cakes and sweets
Replacement: Thick protein shake with peanut butter and ground cinnamon
THICK protein shakes -yes! Very filling / satisfying. believe it or not, there is even research on “viscocity” (thickness or “chew factor”) in drinks increasing satiety.. right on!
I have a recipe for a no bake protein brownie a nutritionist gave me. Its like eating cookie dough, but is full of fiber so it uber filling. It seems to work only with one brand of protein though. I’m wiling to post it, but I am not sure of posting rules? I feel like I have already been brand dropping an awful lot lol. Are recipes ok here? Anyone interested?
Marco, apparently recipes are fine. This is posted twice. Hope that is OK :) I have been trying to find a protein powder without Splenda that work, but for some reason, only the Beverly sets up right. (I’ve tried at least 6 other stevia based ones). I’ve got a chocolate nut ball recipe somewhere too…
6 scoops Beverly Ultimate Muscle Protein Powder (UMP) (chocolate is the best IMHO)
.5c oat bran
.5c oatmeal
2T flaxseed
1/4c nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew etc. Mix it up to change flavors)
1t extract (vanilla orange etc. Mix it up to change flavors)
1c nonfat dry milk powder
1.25c water (this is the amount of water I found works for me)
Toss it all in a bowl & mix. It is sticky! I found heating the water helps. Scoop into a 12×12 wax paper lined pan. It sets up overnight.
I have also added in spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg & chili powder to get different flavors. I cut mine into 6 bars.
I have a diet soda habit I want to break.
It helps me to brew iced tea — really high quality, flavored tea — to replace the soda I know is bad for me.
1. Eating sugary and fatty sweets for post-lunch/dinner dessert.
2. Replacing 1 with a piece of fruit or small balls of roasted amaranth seeds mildly coated with liquid date jaggery.
Possibly the only thing left in my diet is too much coffee or “energy” drinks (Monster). For food, I’m locked down on the competition diet for this challenge and for a bodybuilding competition. I may replace chicken with fish closer to the deadline.
I’ll just replace the extra coffee and energy drinks with water. I’m drinking 1 gallon a day now. So I drove by the store where I wanted to buy a Monster, and of course it’s 2 for $4, and I’ll drink both if I buy them. So I focused on drinking water when I got home and did that.
I’m not sure if the book said this or not, but whatever we focus on, good or bad, we attract. So even thinking or saying “I’m not going to drink soda” causes a focus on soda because the subconscious see’s this as a positive command. Hopefully I’m not plagiarizing, but this is well known in the thought community and psychology.
What we focus on we attract #truth
Indeed, very well-said. It’s the law of attraction.
The “don’t think of a pink elephant” scenario ;)
What about replacing eating too much? I’m okay about eating the right foods… I just eat too much of it!
There is, however, one thing left on the list that I still have trouble staying away from… Sweets. Cakes. Chocolate. I become a little nervous just thinking about it. I manage to replace it with cocoa powder and occasionally, fruit, but the old habit is still there, tempting me to make an exception “just this once”. Haha.
Let’s see, I have already dropped soda and a few other things, but now I really want to get rid of Splenda and any other artificial sweeteners. I have lots of great recipes for food that use Splenda. However, I think I will use unsweetened applesauce as a replacement, where I can. I have also tried Agave Syrup, but not sure that will work.
Bottom line, if it has an artificial sweetener, I will either eat the “natural version” without the sweetener, or avoid it, and perhaps replace it by drinking a bit of plain hot tea.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
My candy bar in the evening.
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
An apple and/or some raw almonds.
I’ve already given the replacement trick a try, but I’ve slid back into old habits. Time to be more diligent! I’ll replace the Cheetos with nuts (which are honestly nowhere near as delicious). And the pop will get replaced with sparkling water.
My previous addiction was potato chips which I have replaced with natural almonds.
I subscribed to your site about a year ago and until now have not been able to find the motivation to do much other than make it to the gym 3 times a week. I’m 5ft9in and weighed 205 lbs for a number of years. At 55 I earned a black belt in Tae Kwan Do but became so stiff and inflexible that I just quit. Exercising was a huge painful chore. Chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncture was not much help. Two months ago I went to a Naturopathic doctor and was told I was sensitive to wheat and dairy. I quit both as well as night shade vegetables because of them being inflammatory. As of today I have lost 22 lbs, have no pain in my body and my flexibility has improved by over 30%. Did I mention that I own a health food store? Yup. Too soon old and too late smart. I am now at 183 lbs and age 62 considering entering your challenge. Will read up on it more and be in touch.
Ugh. Thanks for reminding me that I still need to work on this.
I am going to eat frozen and fresh fruits when I’m craving sweet pastries and candies!
Hi Tom,
I’m going to replace chocolate with healthy nuts.
1. The unhealthy eating habit that I want to replace is the once-a-week binge of fried chicken and potato chips.
2. I will keep apples and other fruit both at hand and prepared and plan to have them as a meal or snack at those times.
1. Candy that is low fat but high in sugar content.
2. Low fat/low sugar Greek yogurt.
1. Sweets such candy bars and chocolates. 2. Fruits and yogurt smooties
1.My unhealthy food habit is eating milk chocolate when I am stressed.
2.I am going to drink glass of water and remind myself that its not real hunger, if it is still troubling me I will eat some almonds or other nuts instead.
I am going to replace sugary sweets with something healthy like celery/ bell peppers or even just a large glass of water with lime!
I don’t crave bad food. I love healthy food but sumo wrestlers also eat grade A healthy food most of the time!! So I am working on replacing other self indulgent habits.
1. My main sabotaging culprit is staying up too late and not getting enough sleep. But I am also guilty of overeating the healthy stuff, which often means my meals become calorie excessive anyway.
2. I am going to start reading my goals at each mealtime and at 8.45pm to help me remember why I don’t want or need to eat more than necessary and why getting enough sleep starting earlier on the left side of midnight is going to help set me up for success the following day. (I plan to kick butt with each and every one of my goals too!)
I was going to enter the competition but chickened out at the thought of someone using my image. However I started my 2014 campaign on NY & on January 8th I was 5kg lighter and already lost 5cm off waist and hips. Roughly equal on body fat and muscle though so I need to monitor that. Thank you so much Tom. You are saving and vastly improving the quality of so many lives with your humility and expertise.
Oh and after reading my goals I’m going to eat 300-350 calorie m times a day and I am going to shower and get ready for bed at 9pm. Once again this endomorph thanks you!
Thanks! In the burn the fat challenge officially or not… keep challenging yourself!
1) I want to replace the unhealthy processed snacks like corn chips, Doritos munchies and even popcorn that I love so much.
2) Healthy alternatives like homemade kale chips, crunchy veggies like cucumbers and carrots, walnuts, almonds.
Great advice, it totally works! I have experienced that when I focus on eating good foods, my desire for the bad foods just naturally disappear so I don’t even feel like I’ve given anything up. That’s easier than telling myself that I’m not going to eat something anymore because then my mind is on what I can’t have, usually until I succumb to eating it. :-)
It does work and youre right on about a) the desire for unhealthy foods lessens on its own over time and b) with replacement it doesnt feel like you gave anything up!. Cheers!
I have replaced pretty much every bad eating habit that I’ve had but the problem is that always eat too much so instead of binging, I condition myself by doing a 2 minute plank, crunches or push-ups. I see results already.
brilliant! Who said it had to be replacement with another food, right? Nice!
1. I used to eat a lot of white rice.
2. Now I eat fruit instead.
dear Tom,
I cannot thankyou enough for the Bob Proctor , winners image and goal setting programs. I am really using them , and feeling so goood!!!!
I can look at all those foods and drinks that had me in thrall and can leave them easily .( this has been for 9 days so far) I also used the goal setting part of your Body fat Solution as assistance.I have made cocoa/nut balls for my snack needs…. so …..the food i have ditched is sugar .
I feel great
thankyou so much
Fiona
Thank YOU Fiona! (recipe???? :-) )
Hi Tom, as usual I love your approach to nutrition and exercise and this one was not different. My main problem is with sugar and chocolate. I will identify what can replace my need to something sweet! Thanks!!!
I like the coments abouth how to change bad habit i thing this can help a lot .Thank you
Cookies. I can’t live without them. Help me find a replacement
Who’s got a healthy protein cookie recipe to share? :-)
Haha, that answers that. I will refer the reader above down here ;) Its not a cookie, but tastes like cookie dough. I eat these for breakfast sometimes. I have been trying to find a protein powder without Splenda that work, but for some reason, only the Beverly sets up right. (I’ve tried at least 6 other stevia based ones). I’ve got a chocolate nut ball recipe somewhere too…
6 scoops Beverly Ultimate Muscle Protein Powder (UMP) (chocolate is the best IMHO)
.5c oat bran
.5c oatmeal
2T flaxseed
1/4c nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew etc. Mix it up to change flavors)
1t extract (vanilla orange etc. Mix it up to change flavors)
1c nonfat dry milk powder
1.25c water (this is the amount of water I found works for me)
Toss it all in a bowl & mix. It is sticky! I found heating the water helps. Scoop into a 12×12 wax paper lined pan. It sets up overnight.\\
I have also added in spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg & chili powder to get different flavors. I cut mine into 6 bars.
Found a few more doing a quick search in my mailbox:
Almond Butter Chews
5 ingredients + 5 minutes + NO bake = 7 golf-ball sized bites
1/4 cup chunky all-natural almond butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup rice crisp cereal (I suggest Gluten-Free Nature’s Path)
3 tbsp organic brown rice syrup
1 tbsp cacao nibs (or chopped chocolate)
Instructions
1. Line a plate with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the almond butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla. Microwave on high for 35-45 seconds. Stir well and immediately add in the rice crisp cereal and cacao nibs (or chopped chocolate). Stir until fully mixed.
2. Wet hands thoroughly and shape the mixture into ‘golf-balls’. Press mixture together firmly so it will hold. Wet hands after each ball is formed so the mixture will not stick to your hands. Place the balls onto parchment paper and freeze for 5 minutes. You can keep these chews in the freezer in a sealed container. I really enjoy them straight from the freezer. They remain nice and chewy.
Nutritional info: (per large ball, not including the cacao nibs): 105 cals, 5 gms fat, 12 gms carbs, 6 gms sugar, 2 gms protein
You can put in some cocoa powder too if you want more chocolate :)
Last one :) I’m a lemon & sugar cookie fiend…
Hopefully these will also be a good jump start to finding some good recipes on google ;)
Lemon-Zested Sugar Cookies
2/3 C Smart Balance Margarine
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 banana mashed with 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon rind, grated
4 tsp soymilk
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Make sure you have one or two greased cookie sheets, plastic wrap, waxed paper, a rolling pin and cookie cutters on hand before you start.
Use an electric mixer to cream margarine, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add bananna/baking soda mixture and lemon rind then beat until fluffy.
Add soymilk and mix on low speed until blended.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Blend the flour mixture into the creamed ingredients to form a soft dough.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
Place several sheets of waxed paper on a large kitchen surface, and sprinkle them with flour. Remove one of the balls of dough from the refrigerator and center it on the waxed paper. Dust dough lightly with flour, and flatten slightly with your hands.
Place another sheet of waxed paper on top of the dough and roll it to 1/4-inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of paper and cut the dough in desired shapes, forming the cookies as close to one another as possible.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cookies cool slightly after removing from the oven, then transfer to a baking rack or plate to cool completely. Repeat the process with the other ball of dough.
I want to get rid of my “Coca light addiction” (that’s what it’s called here in México: Coca light) and start to drink water on a regular basis. Good luck to all!
I’m trying to break the habit of having something sweet after lunch and dinner. I usually have about 4 squares of dark chocolate, which adds up to 200 calls and 12 g fat. For lunch I’ve switched to Greek yogurt with chocolate protein powder, chia seeds and berries, which has more calories but is much more nutrient dense. All I want after dinner is chocolate, not sure what I can make to replace that that’s not heavy on the calories!
Perfect! Big fan of your books!
“Replacement not removal” resonates with me because I’ve learned from personal experience that if I don’t replace my negative or unhealthy addiction/habit with a positive and healthy one, then I usually would return to that bad habit with worst consequences on my body and mind.
Makes so much sense. Healthy foods and exercise.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
– Bread and butter (I actually enjoy most healthy food and can pass by junk food and sweets, but BOY, do I love fresh homemade bread and butter!)
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
– Rye crackers and natural peanut butter (or avocado – avocado is a great substitute for spreads like butter or mayo or cream cheese)
The two bad food habits I want to change is…..1)Give up drinking Dr. Pepper sodas and 2)Grabbing a healthy snack instead of sweets like candy, cookies or cinnamon rolls. Since it takes 21 days scientifically to change a habit, the 28 days you are giving should really make it stick!
My bad eating habit is late night snacking on fried foods.
I will replace it with a green smoothie or protein shake if I have a late night craving
The last couple of years, I’ve developed the bad habit of not practicing portion control. So…instead of pouring out SOME almonds, I will take a normal serving and not go back for more. I actually succeeded at that yesterday. Small steps for mankind. lol
I replaced soda with water 13 years ago. Gave up candy a couple months after that. Dark chocolate doesn’t count. ;) (Thank goodness that even when I had a terrible sweet-tooth, I didn’t like baked goods.)
Another step in the right direction for me is not looking at the fitbit leaderboard. I am replacing the obsession with steps with a REASONABLE number of steps…should cut down on the hunger!
Thanks for all of the tips/info!
1.Unplanned work snacks (we have a “store” with snack size candy, chips, cookies, etc… for charilty)
2.work ‘stash’ of homemade mini bars from some of the recipes I have seen around the innercircle, like chocolate protein balls.
1 – I have an addiction to all things sugar: candy, brownies…chewy, sweet things.
2 – I will choose to first drink some water. Then, if still craving, grab a fruit. And review my goals.
I like snacking on buttery toast.
I’m going to stick the fridge with carrot and celery sticks to snack on instead!!
Ice cream.
Replacing with healthy kale and banana smoothie when the cravings strike.
I love food so for it’s not too bad because I do love healthy foods more I just find that snacking gets hard because fruits are good but just way too much sugar!
I’ve already gotten sodas, HFCS, and overly sweet food out of my life. They don’t even taste good anymore.
1. The habit I want to break is eating at my desk at work. I keep working and wolf down the food.
2. During the winter, I plan to use the break room, which is largely underused because everyone else eats lunch at their desk or goes out for junk food. During the summer, I’ll use the picnic tables outside, which are also underused. And I will slow down and enjoy my lunch.
I used to have both cream and sugar in my coffees (of which I have several per day)
Now I have non-fat milk and a teaspoon of pure, unsweetened cocoa powder
1. Chocolate
2. Bananas
The unhealty food habit I want to replace is eating processed pastries for breakfast (cinnamon rolls, croissants).
I will replace them with a bowl of organic oatmeal, mixed with blueberries, watermelon, almond milk and whey protein powder
My biggest issue is eating “after hours”! At the table I am quite safe and m eating quite healthy, but then in the evenings that huge undefined craving overcomes me and I wander about in my kitchen and open cupboards, fridge and drawers… a few times without eating anything but then at the end still falling for some bread with lots of butter, nuts or fruits and more fruits and more… so sad, lots of calories that are not needed.
I will replace my wanderings with a straight walk to the tap and the fruit basket. No eating without having drunk a glass of water before! Only fruit or one Darvida Cracker after the drink!
1. various tours of xzy eating in the evenings
2. drink a glass of water plus a fruit or ONE Darvida Cracker after that.
1. My husband and I have developed a morning ritual of going to a bagel shop near my work and having a coffee and bagel together. I work 12 hour shifts so it is a nice way to spend some time together but it is definitely not the most nutritious. So..(2) we have decided to cook together in the morning and make omelets (full of veggies and egg whites of course). This way we are still spending the time together, which really is what our morning ritual was intended for.
That is actually really sweet :) <3
Here in the South, I was raised on sweet tea, and thats an understatement. In the past few weeks I switched to drinking unsweet tea but adding apple slices to it and was able to tell a hugh difference and I don’t even think about “sweet tea”. It also helped me to cut down (almost out) other sugar products. Its a work in progress and working good.
1. Eating sugary food later in the evening.
2. Small piece of fruit earlier in the evening – then brush teeth and go to bed earlier!
I am going to replace my ice cream with greek yogurt.
Well, Tom, I have been a passive reader on here for a couple of years now. I know in my head that what you tell us is stuff that should be put into practice. It only makes sense.
I am an obese person, weighing in at 253.4 lbs as of Jan 4th (I am also only 5’1′). For the last week I have kept a food journal and have done not too bad. I weigh my food at each meal and try to control my portion sizes. I did have a couple of slips this past week, some chips, too much popcorn, larger portions than I should have… but I lost almost 3 lbs this week (250.8).
After reading your article I finally wrote down a goal. In the past I have made the mistake of not writing it down. I have failed every time I have tried to lose.
I have a real love of potato chips. If they are in the house I will eventually eat them unless they belong to someone else. Thus the couple of times I ate chips in the past week. That is essentially what I want to get rid of from my bad habit list.
What I am going to replace it with is eating more yogurt and fresh veggies. Hopefully some fruit. I don’t want to sabotage myself this time and dearly hope to be successful. Thanks for reading and for all the good advice I have yet to put into practice. Lisa
Nice job Lisa! a goal become real when its written down. And keeping a journal always correlates with more success. Be kind to yourself. we all have slip ups. Yes all. Me too. The difference isnt the slip up – its your RESILIENCE! Its how you bounce right back up… like the quarterback who gets sacked. he pops right back up for the next play. You’re one meal away from being back on track. no guilt. just right back on track. At the end of the week what matters is your results – and you got them – which goes to show all the more, you dont have to be perfect, you can even plan for indulgences, then its not like you were off track at all – it was part of the plan. the 90- 10 rule as i call it. Keep it up. More success is ahead!
Thank you so much for your words, Tom! I have tried to find many ways since first finding this site to get your book. I truly do want to read it but something always happens financially to send me into a tailspin. I have recently started looking after the children of a friend and was hoping to be able to make the purchase from such earnings. Unfortunately, right now, those earnings are going to be going towards the purchase of more yogurt and veggies. Until the time comes when I can purchase I will just have to (hope to be a book winner :) ) keep reading your newsletters and planning for success.
Wise words Tom Lets break some bad Habits in the 28 and 98 day Challenge
Give up alcohol
Replace with lemon water to keep hydrated.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace? Fast food breakfast
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense? The fast food breakfast was a result of poor time allocation. I would go there taking the kids to school and often got something for me too. I am now getting up earlier making sure I can prepare a well balanced breakfast. I am going to lead them to a healthier future by my example. Thanks, Tom
I always crave something sweet after a meal. I’ve replaced that with a cup of hot mint tea. Takes the craving perfectly.
Controlling myself in the evening after work is where I need to change my habits.
1. sweet after dinner snacks (desert)
2. carrots, salad, pickles
Giving up cookies…..replacing with almonds.
1. Tortilla chips and pretzels
2. Celery and bell peppers
I’m beating the “afternoon snack time” blues by packing a healthy snack in my lunch and having it ready to go when hunger strikes.
1. Unhealthy habit: sweets, especially at night.
2. Healthy swap: Taking suggestion from one of your posts below — plain Greek yogurt with a little natural peanut butter and protein powder. Sounds yummy!
I want to start replacing the slice of extra sharp cheddar I usually put in my grilled chicken wrap with a a heaping spoonful of fat-free, low-sodium cottage cheese.
I love eating tortilla chips with my lunch. I will replace those with a crunchy vegetable, like carrots or cucumber slices.
What works for me.
1. Identify what I want to change, why I want to change this particular habit, and how it will benefit me.
2. When the desire hits, replace the old behavior with new behavior which results in the same reward… The same feel good.
3. Do this long enough that new pathways form in the brain that will override the old stuff.
4. Believe, or have faith that it is possible.
1 I am replacing pop and soda with
2 mainly water or the natural fruit juice
also
1 replacing chips and crackers with
2 nuts and/or popcorn
I’ve found that I really enjoy baked apple chips, so I’ve looked up the how-to and plan to start baking my own with cinnamon and Gala apples. My hope is to replace sweets with this healthy alternative.
I’m giving up sweetened tea for tea with lemon.
What is the unhealthy food habit you want to replace?
OK, maybe I’m not the best person to be answering this because I’ve already done this step (then again, maybe I am a good person to ask as I have been successful :)). While I eat ‘bad’ foods often, I have no problem eating them in moderation (square of chocolate or tablespoon of ice cream after dinner makes me happy). Those I can’t control, I avoid (a fried noodle dish my mom used to make I will pig out on!). My biggest cravings tend to be more salty than sweet. Anyhow, I will list my substitutes below for what has worked for me, and maybe it will help others :)
What are you going to eat instead that is less calorie dense and more nutrient dense?
Salty chips, pretzels etc: roasted seaweed snacks (can be made at home!). I also really dig roasted brussel sprouts and kale.
Chocolate: Dark chocolate, or better yet cocoa nibs (slowly work your way darker, and you will find them just as good). Milk with cocoa powder in it.
Soda: I used to drink a ton of diet soda! I did that instead of eat (healthy eh?). Now days I find I like herbal teas. Rooibus, honeybush, mint etc. Yes, its not a direct substitution, and I occasionally splurge on a diet soda, but they are sweet depending on what you get. Plus they can be enjoyed hot or cold. I also like fruit essence sparkling waters (eg la croix I have found most everywhere in the US) if in the mood for some fizz. If you want to stick with the sweet and go lower calorie, you can buy sparkling water and add a splash of flavored syrup (Torani is the most common brand here in the US).
Ice cream: This is the toughest one. I’ve played with this a bit. Mashed banana ‘ice cream’ is a good one if you love bananas. I’ve made some pretty good fudge cycles out of protein powder before (played with blending in cottage cheese, yogurt and milk). Frozen Keifer is good too, but they do add in sugar. Its pretty much the same as the flavored yogurts you buy in the store.
OK, a disclaimer. I do binge eat on Brussels sprouts, asparagus and cabbage when I cook them. Esp if salt is involved. I am not sure if binge eating veggies is a bad thing, so I’ve not stopped myself ;)
I find myself craving tortilla chips in the evening. I’ll replace them with lightly salted soy nuts – this will replace the fast-burning carbs with slow burning protein.
1. Cinnamon Buns
2. Oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar-free apple sauce.
Very helpful information. Thanks!
Want to give up: tea (due to caffeine content – I’ve stopped drinking coffee and sodas in the past)
Replacements:
1. More water
2. Smoothies
3. Herbal tea
4. Sports drinks
5. Fruit drinks
1. HANGRY eating
2. Mindful,slow eating whilst seated and relaxed. Drinking water and eating green fibrous veg before protein and fats.
I will replace my secret (shhh) addiction to Culvers Turtle Sundaes (custard with caramel and pecans) with Greek Yogurt with pecans and cinnamon.
I love fast foods
My unhealthy food habit is this wonderful thing called pizza… but I recently discovered a brilliant low-carb alternative using cauliflower to make a crust with, like, a zillion less calories.
recipe please? :)
I got this recipe for Paleo Cheese Pizza off ‘The Iron You’:
http://www.theironyou.com/2013/03/paleo-cheese-pizza.html
So, I think if I would just make a list of foods I ‘have to’ have, I might be able to find healthy alternatives for them, like paleo chicken chips instead of corn chips for ‘dips’, etc…
Fruit and vegetables…Working on that! Sneaking cauliflower into my pizza!
WOW! I love this idea! It’s something I can put into practice right away. Very cool, thanks!
1. Sweetmeat.
2. Banana and Apple
I have a hard time with the soda craving. My body/brain craves the caffeine and probably the sugar too. I don’t eat candy and occasionally (holidays and special occasions usually) crave sweets. I’ve tried taking caffeine pills but it is hard to tell if it is really working. I’m down to one a day if at all, but it is pretty difficult. I’m down to 18% bodyfat but I’d like to get under 15% by summer. I lift 4x a week and do cardio at least 4x a week. I’ve regained my college baseball strength (bench 285 3 rep max, squat 455 3 rep max and deadlift 495 3 rep max). Now I just want to get back to the lean vascular body I used to have.
I’d like any advice or tips you would like to share.
Thanks
Eric
I’m going to replace sugar and empty calories with deep nutrition. I’m eating oatmeal in the morning now, and am in process of switching my kids over to homemade cereal make with oatmeal/nuts/fruits rather than sugary cereals. (They’re 3,4 and 6. I have a very busy life, but I’m going to add a protein shake, water, and fresh fruits and veggies in shakes and salads. I’ve also switched out my jam to a homemade version. (Pureed fruit with chia seed as thickener.) I’m very excited to try new things this year.
I’m not sure if someone has already won the book but I would really love a copy. I bought your ebook years ago, Tom and devoured it. But I’m a very visual person and it always seems like I forget about ebooks and stuff on my computer, usually for months. But I’m a book lover and the few nutritional books I have I read, and reread, highlight, stickynote, keep beside my bed and even photocopy recipes out of. I just need something REAL to see, hold and follow. Very excited to hear there’s a hardcopy! I would love one!!
Substituting an orange for chocolate.
Very interesting.
I love fast food and Mountain Dew.
Hi Tom:
I liked your tips and i want you books, but im from Mexico and i really hope in the future can i got your books in SPANISH… Or, you have this in spanish??
Its difficult to me read your articles in english, i try, but for me and other people in Latin America, will be beter read it in spanish… I hope one day can i get it in spanish!
An article where I felt like “I CAN DO IT”
LOVE the nail analogy. What a great way to look at habits! Really enjoyed the tips & will be looking into purchasing Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Thank you!!
Eneough water