I believe it takes somewhere between 21 and 30 days for behavior to become a habit.  I heard a story once where NASA gave astronauts special glasses that made them see everything upside down.  After 30 days, their brains grew new pathways and they suddenly could see the images right side up.  But if an astronaut removed their glasses before the 30 days was up, it took another 30 days for the brain to flip the image.

Whether it’s a true story or not, I cannot say.  But I think it makes an interesting point.   The brain needs time to create a habit, and even a day of reverting back to old behaviors before a habit is created is a bad idea.

I have been sticking to the plan.  I don’t believe I have created a habit just yet, but I am thinking about what I am doing less and less.  It is coming to me more naturally.  It is no longer a struggle to eat between 1200-1500 calories a day, but I do still have to think about it consciously a few times a day.   And I have to remind myself to make time to exercise.  That is not a daily habit just yet.

Hopefully soon, in a few days or a few weeks, this all will become second nature to me and I won’t have to put as much thought into it.  For now, I’m staying focused and it seems to be working.

Weight:  191.6
Running:  .5 miles
Calories Consumed: 1503
Calories Burned: 2713
Calorie Deficit: -1210