Everything works
as long as you do it
Having suffered from disordered eating my entire adult life, I made a realization a couple of years ago now. All diets work. If the goal is to lose weight that is.
Believe me. I know. I’ve tried most of them. Intermittent fasting. Bright Line Eating, caloric deficit and endless cardio, going vegan, eating like a caveman, weight watchers type classes, no carbs, no sugar - the list goes on. And I lost weight every single time. So, diets work.
I know what you are going to say. Diets don’t work. 99% of dieters regain the weight, and then some. This is also true. I am one of those 99%.
So what is my point? This morning I was brushing my teeth in a deep squat (as one does) and it hit me. Everything works - as long as you do it.
No wonder the book Atomic Habits has become a bestseller. I have the book, but I admit I haven’t started to read it yet. I grinned to myself though when I realized at a recent dinner party that all four of the women present were either reading it, had bought it to read (me) or were considering buying it. Habits. Everything works if you can only make it a habit.
I never thought I was very regimented or rigid. I like to think of myself as easy going and spontaneous. However, I am discovering that I am in fact quite the creature of habit. For example, I start each day the same way. I feed the cat, drink a glass of Biola, take my medication and get ready for my half hour commute to work. I listen to a podcast or audio book as I bike. Every Monday I book my gym classes for the whole week. Every Wednesday I water my four house plants. Almost every day I do a load of laundry, and fold and put away whatever is in the dryer or hanging on the rack.
Not all of my habits are this wholesome or improve my life though. Until quite recently, I would scroll through Instagram for at least a couple of hours a day. I don’t enjoy cooking, so quite often dinner is a couple of pieces of bread with cheese.
Another of my habits that is not so great, is that when my routines are thrown off kilter, or I am stressed out about something, I tend to turn to retail therapy. This past month or so, has been exceptionally heavy because (waves in the general direction of everything), and I have done a lot of shopping. I also bite my nails.
I connected the dots yesterday. After attending a funeral, I stopped by my favorite thrift store looking for a pair of green sneakers, and left with two jackets, a dress, a t-shirt, a cardigan and a chunky knit sweater. Just a day after having ordered expensive skin care products from France recommended by my favorite Youtuber the same day my mother was taken to the ER. And only two days after ordering a rather expensive white t-shirt, after being influenced by a Facebook ad, and I received a text from a mentally ill family member, and the US and Israel starting bombing Iran. (I never seem to learn that buying clothes online is never a good idea).
So not only am I a creature of habit, I am also very susceptible to being influenced. The deep squats? Youtube. The no longer scrolling on Instagram for hours on end? An app called Opal recommended by a favorite podcaster.
Even retail therapy works though. As long as I am doing it.
So now I am wondering out loud if everything really does work? Can I transfer my theory to, let’s say, religious practices? I have written about prayer before. I don’t pray religiously (see what I did there?) anymore. Because even when I did, it didn’t seem to work. Scripture study is maybe different? I do feel like it works - to a degree. Attending church and doing all the things - out of habit - works sometimes, sometimes not.
Maybe it’s a question of definition? What does ‘working’ mean? What is the end goal or the motivation?
I feel like more research needs to be conducted here. But perhaps a little less retail therapy.