Out with the Old and In with the New - How to break a habit

Brandi Almario
Mar 26
2 min read

We all have nutrition habits we would like to change, whether it is late night snacking, emotional eating, or boredom eating. Breaking a habit is not about willpower; it is about understanding how habits work and applying the right strategies to shift them. Using principles from James Clear’s Atomic Habits you can reshape your routine by making unhealthy habits invisible, unattractive, difficult and unsatisfying.

Understanding Habit Formation

Every habit follows a loop: cue → crying → response → reward. For example, feeling stressed (cue) triggers a craving for comfort (craving), so you may reach for a sugary snack (response) and feel temporary relief (reward). To break the habit, we need to intervene at different stages of the loop.

Make it invisible

Temptation is hard to resist when it is right in front of you. If your pantry is stocked with food that is not high in nutrients, then you are more than likely to reach for them. Out of sight, out of mind works wonders when trying to break a habit.

Make it unattractive

Reframe how you think about more tempting foods. Reframe these foods as foods that drain your energy, make you feel sluggish, increase your cravings, and add to weight gain.

Make it difficult

Increase the effort required to engage in unhealthy habits. If you tend to grab fast food after work, take a different route home to avoid the drive thru. The more effort it takes, the less likely you will continue with the unhealthy habit.

Make it unsatisfying

Accountability is a powerful tool. Work with a Registered Dietitian to help you stay accountable and track your progress. Another tool is to link the habit to a negative consequence, such as putting a dollar into an unhealthy habit jar every time you miss a workout or eat fast food.

The Power of Small Changes

Breaking poor nutrition habits does not happen overnight, but small consistent efforts add up. By applying these principles you can make lasting change. Start with identifying one habit to adjust.

What’s one nutrition habit you want to break? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!