Healthy Habits for Weight Loss That Actually Stick

The short answer: The healthy habits that stuck for me were small and boring: 32 ounces of water every morning, a daily walk, and cutting one thing at a time: pop, then milk, then fries. Over the years, I went from 258 pounds to 184. They stuck because I added them one by one, after deciding I was a healthy person, not as rules on a diet. Pick one, let it become normal, then add the next.

Why don't my healthy habits ever stick?

Mine didn't either, for years.

At 24, I weighed 258 pounds. Every diet I tried came with a whole package of new habits. Drink more water. Exercise. No bread, no pasta, no pop, no sweets. I'd start them all on the same day.

Each diet lasted only a few days. Then I binged, and every one of those new habits went out the window at once.

Looking back, I see two problems. I was trying to change everything at the same time. And I was an unhealthy person forcing healthy habits on himself. Neither one was going to last.

In the summer of 1998, I tried the opposite. I decided I was a healthy person first. Then I asked, "Would a healthy person do this?" and let the habits come one at a time.

The healthy habits that stuck for me

I want to be careful here. These are just the habits that stuck for me. I'm not claiming they're the best ones, or that they'll do the same thing for you. They're simply real.

1. Morning water

Every morning, I drink 32 ounces of water. It isn't a rule I force myself to follow. It's just part of my morning, like brushing my teeth.

2. A daily walk

When I became a healthy person in the summer of 1998, I started taking a walk every day. I still take it today.

It didn't start as anything impressive. It started as a walk, because healthy people walk. That was the whole reason.

3. Dropping one thing at a time

The biggest changes I made were things I stopped doing, one at a time.

First, I stopped drinking pop. Once that felt normal, I stopped drinking milk. Later, I dropped the French fries that came with lunch. Each one got its own time to settle before I touched the next. If you want the full story on the first one, it's in how to stop drinking soda.

4. Eating until satisfied

I grew up cleaning my plate whether I was full or not. Unlearning that was its own habit, and it took a while. I wrote about it in how to stop overeating.

How do you build a healthy habit that lasts?

Here's the method behind those habits. It's simple on purpose.

1. Start with who you are, not what you'll do

This is the part most habit advice skips. I didn't build habits to become healthy. I decided I already was a healthy person, then did what a healthy person does.

That order matters more than anything else on this list. I go deeper on it in identity-based habits for weight loss.

2. Pick one habit, not five

One. Seriously.

The diet version of me picked five and kept none. The healthy-person version picked one, and it's still with me today.

Choose the one that feels most obvious when you ask, "What would a healthy person do?" For me, it was the pop. For you, it might be the walk or water in the morning.

3. Make it smaller than you think it should be

My walk started as just a walk. Not a distance, not a pace. You can make it bigger later. The first job of a habit isn't to be impressive. It's to happen every day.

A ten-minute walk around the block counts. A glass of water before coffee counts.

4. Make it easy to do and hard to skip

This is plain common sense. Put the water bottle where you'll see it in the morning. Put your walking shoes by the door. Don't keep pop in the fridge if you've decided you don't drink it.

You're not relying on willpower. You're setting up your day so the healthy choice is the easy one.

5. Wait until it feels normal before adding the next one

How do you know a habit has stuck? When skipping it feels strange. When you stop thinking "I should drink my water" and just drink it.

That's when it's time for the next one. Not before.

Want help picking your first habit? The free 5-day challenge is one short email a day. On Day 4, you'll watch one healthy person you know and borrow one thing they do.

Start the free 5-day challenge →

Should I focus on food habits or exercise habits?

For me, the answer was both, but one at a time.

My first change was food: no more pop. My walk came early too. But I never tried to overhaul what I ate and how I moved in the same week. That's the diet trap.

If you're not sure where to start, ask the question honestly and go with whatever answer comes first. There's no wrong door.

What do I do when I skip a habit?

Just do it again the next day.

On a diet, missing a day felt like breaking a chain, and a broken chain meant giving up. That's how my habits used to die.

When the habit comes from who you are, one missed day doesn't matter much. A healthy person who skips a walk because of a storm is still a healthy person. Tomorrow they walk.

If missed days tend to spiral into giving up completely, read how to stop yo-yo dieting. That spiral was my whole life before 1998.

How long until healthy habits help with weight loss?

I can only tell you my timeline. Over the years after 1998, I went from 258 pounds to 184, where I am today. Years, not weeks. That's my story, not a promise. Everyone's body is different.

What I can say is that the habits came first and the weight followed slowly. And the habits are still here. That's the part diets never gave me.

Try it free for 5 days

If your healthy habits keep falling apart after a few days, try the free 5-day challenge. One short email a day from me. You'll make the "I am a healthy person" commitment and pick your first habit with one question: What would a healthy person do right now?

One habit at a time. No calorie counting.

Start the free 5-day challenge →

FAQ

What are good healthy habits for weight loss?

The ones that stuck for me were drinking 32 ounces of water every morning, taking a daily walk, and cutting things one at a time: pop, then milk, then fries. Pick the one that feels most obvious to you.

How many habits should I start at once?

One. Let it become normal before adding the next. Starting several at once is what sank my diets.

How do I make healthy habits stick?

For me, the key was deciding I was a healthy person first, then making each habit small and easy enough to do every day.

What if I miss a day?

Do it again tomorrow. One missed day doesn't change who you are.

Do I need a gym?

I didn't start with one. My daily walk is still my main habit for moving. Check with your doctor about what's right for you.

I'm not a doctor; this is what worked for me. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet or activity, especially if you have a health condition.