Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, sticking to a new diet is tough. Because you’re not just breaking one eating habit but you’re building a new one at the same time. 

“My clinical approach with my clients is to gradually change a few number of factors first. Because we have a finite amount of willpower, and the more things we remove…the harder it is” says J.k Ryan Fuller, PhD, a clinical psychologist and executive director of New York Behavioral Health who specializes in weight loss. 

Breaking habits — especially the kind that trigger your brain’s reward centers, like when you gorge on ice cream — takes time and effort. 

Here are the strategies that clinical psychologists who specialize in weight loss recommend if you want to change your diet habits in a safe, sustainable way.

How to break the habit of a poor diet

“I advise people not even to call it a diet. That brings up all kinds of negative emotions and expectations, such as deprivation, rules, food logs, etc,” says Kimberly M. Daniels, PsyD, who specializes in overeating and weight issues. Visit https://observer.com/.

Daniels explains that when it comes to breaking bad habits, it is helpful to think of current habits in terms of self-care. 

“Binge eating ice cream every night would easily be defined as a bad habit, but people do that to soothe or comfort themselves. So it’s actually self-care. Self-care that doesn’t get you anywhere good, but still self-care.” 

Daniels recommends trying to uncover why you are performing this self-care habit by asking yourself some questions.

• If you’re eating ice cream every night, why?  
• What are you avoiding?  
• What are you distracting yourself from?  
• Why do you feel the need to comfort yourself in that way? 

Once you understand your reasons more clearly, you can start to address the real cause of the behavior and break the bad habit. For example, “if you’re eating ice cream every night because you’re lonely, how can you boost your social connections?” says Daniels.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, sticking to a new diet is tough. Because you’re not just breaking one eating habit but you’re building a new one at the same time. 

“My clinical approach with my clients is to gradually change a few number of factors first. Because we have a finite amount of willpower, and the more things we remove…the harder it is” says J. Ryan Fuller, PhD, a clinical psychologist and executive director of New York Behavioral Health who specializes in weight loss. 

Breaking habits — especially the kind that trigger your brain’s reward centers, like when you gorge on ice cream — takes time and effort. 

Here are the strategies that clinical psychologists who specialize in weight loss recommend if you want to change your diet habits in a safe, sustainable way. l

How to break the habit of a poor diet

“I advise people not even to call it a diet. That brings up all kinds of negative emotions and expectations, such as deprivation, rules, food logs, etc,” says Kimberly M. Daniels, PsyD, who specializes in overeating and weight issues.

Daniels explains that when it comes to breaking bad habits, it is helpful to think of current habits in terms of self-care. 

“Binge eating ice cream every night would easily be defined as a bad habit, but people do that to soothe or comfort themselves. So it’s actually self-care. Self-care that doesn’t get you anywhere good, but still self-care.” 

Daniels recommends trying to uncover why you are performing this self-care habit by asking yourself some questions.

• If you’re eating ice cream every night, why?  
• What are you avoiding?  
• What are you distracting yourself from?  
• Why do you feel the need to comfort yourself in that way? 

Once you understand your reasons more clearly, you can start to address the real cause of the behavior and break the bad habit. For example, “if you’re eating ice cream every night because you’re lonely, how can you boost your social connections?” says Daniels.