From bad habit to good habit

I've now been chip free for officially 25 days. And it feels good! The support and accountability has really helped me keep my hand out of the bag, even when I'm dying for just one of my salty delights. I've chatted about my progress with my best friend, who lives in Colorado, and she's been very supportive. She also told me that it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a natural habit. And I feel like after my first 21+ days, not binging on potato chips is now my new natural habit. While I would still love to eat some, I don't feel the urge anymore to sit on the couch and do nothing but eat chips. I have a new good habit I'm following and keeping - I'm thrilled!

But what now?

I have to admit, I really hoped that I'd see pounds magically disappear from not eating chips alone. And while there's been some progress, I see the pounds fluctuate. I've come to realize that my body is not the same as it was 10 years ago. If I want something to drastically change, I'm going to have to make drastic changes. I can't expect to throw out the chips and drop a dress size. It's not realistic.

The good thing with the potato chip experiment is that it showed me I really can change a lifelong habit. It's possible. My attempts at dieting and working out have partially failed because I quit too soon. I don't think I can do it. It's too hard. But now I see that if I put my mind to it, I really can make healthy changes in my life.

So now it's time for me to take the next step and really focus more on eating right and exercising. I'm pushing myself to work harder at the gym. I want to be able to write 21 days from now that going to gym and being more active is now a new, natural habit of mine. I've been experimenting with different exercises to see what I enjoy - for instance, I do not enjoy Zumba. Being naturally uncoordinated and not dancey, I felt awkward and heavy. That's the opposite feeling I want a workout to give me. So I'm moving on and trying something new. The good thing is, the more I keep trying, the more active I'm getting. The less time on the couch I'm spending. It might be small steps toward a big goal, but I'm getting there.