Create the Habits of Being Lean, in 7 Years

Babauta contrasts quick weight-loss plans with slower habit change. He says rapid loss often depends on drastic diets and water weight, which do not last when old habits return.

Reading notes

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• Fast weight loss is usually unsustainable because drastic diets produce mostly water-weight changes and encourage a return to old habits.
• The main task is not short-term dieting but changing eating, exercise, and stress-coping habits over time.
• Babauta describes his own progress as gradual: quitting smoking, starting to run, eating more vegetables, becoming vegetarian, then vegan, and adding other activities little by little.
• He says the process included setbacks, travel overeating, and periods of regained fat, followed by resetting with small challenges.
• He recommends beginning with very easy habits, then progressing slowly when they become stable.
• He suggests watching why you eat, looking for healthier replacement habits, and training taste toward foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dark chocolate.
• He advises making activity social, joining races or challenges, learning to handle social situations and restaurants, and forgiving mistakes while continuing.