This Mental Shift Helps You Stay Consistent With Your Plans

You’re ready for the change; you just haven’t told your brain yet

Photo by Zheka Boychenko on Unsplash

I have a friend, Chris, who is seriously overweight. He’s been claiming he needs to lose weight for a few years now. And it turns out he knows what to do to get there.

Each week, he struggles to get out of the house and walks 7000 steps in the morning. He eats moderately throughout the day, mostly plain steaks and salads. No alcohol.

The problem is, however, that every other weekend, he’s visiting his in-laws. And there, he indulges himself into eating what is probably the equivalent of half a pig, along with rivers of wine. Because swine rhymes with wine, he says.

By Monday, the scale would close its eyes as he steps on it. He would curse and get back to his healthy weekly routine, only to make the same mistakes the next time he’ll get the chance.

What Is Wrong With Chris?

I’m sure he really, really wants to lose weight and stay healthy. He clearly knows what he needs to do. But there he is, failing at it with flying colors.

If you’d ask James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, of this bizarre behavior, he’d tell you — it’s not him, it’s his brain putting him through all…