Live data from Hacker News

How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

thelogicaloptimist.com

111–120 of 138 posts

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#111

When I shifted to Bangalore and in March 2023, I faced water shortage (found out later it was a issue in the water supply pipes) I signed up to gym practically immediately, and used to go all days back then, just to have a bath. Hit the treadmill for 30-40 mins or lift for an hour,then have a bath. Used to gym earlier in 2022 but never got that to be a habit, but the habit stacking thing worked really well. Now that…

The gym had baths?

You're probably thinking of the formal definition of a "bath", as in sitting in a tub of water. Over here in India, bathing and taking a shower mean the same thing.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#112

In Indian culture, people do a ritual for 40 days without trying to make a habit, and my reading is that habit forming is the purpose. Sometimes what you do it not directly related to your goal, let's say fasting or going to temple or whatever, but I guess 40 days of thinking about your new-routine-adjacent-goal makes you obsess about it and try to make it happen. So twice what is being discussed here.

It is same in Islamic culture/literature. Either one affected another or both stem from same origin.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#113

Answer: it depends. When failure to be habitual about something has significant financial cost or causes physical pain, adoption will often be nearly instantaneous.

I always wondered about the possible negative effects of having a comfortable life. The parental love by default dictates us to create a good life for our children, which may result in too much comfort. Do tough times indeed create stronger people? If so, how could that be incorporated into the gentleness of the modern pedagogy?

Define "tough." Politicians and top tier academics, for example, are often very ruthless people, bred among wealth and generational security. They've never worked a 12h shift in a mine, but if you want to observe utterly pitiless mentalities or people that take being "judgmental" to levels you may have never suspected might exist, spend time among them. If they'll have you.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#114
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6 eggs at breakfast every day? My doctor's advice (which is also official government advice for high cholestorol) was two egg yellows max every week - that includes any foods that use egg yellows. Egg whites you have more leeway and theoretically one could use 6 egg whites every day but that would include heavy exercise.

Isn't the high cholesterol thing proven false?

Yes, there are indications that for some reasons eggs are better for you, than their cholesterol level should indicate. But it’s nowhere near “proven”. And that that high cholesterol is fine, is not even there. Currently, it’s still better to avoid high cholesterol meals. All of them.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#115

It took me a few days to become a smoker, and a few weeks to get to the point of not wanting to smoke again (some decades later). It took me a week or so to start having a healthier breakfast and it become part of my routine, and I've been trying to have healthier lunches for years now (and still regularly fail, normally because at lunchtimes I'm tired, stressed and yearning for comfort foods like sandwiches and snac…

> a few weeks to get to the point of not wanting to smoke again

That's a shockingly short amount of time for smoking. For me, after a few weeks I'd say some of the worst cravings had passed. But for a good year or two afterwards they'd occasionally come back, albeit briefly. I quit about 15 years ago, but given the right situation I can still feel it.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mine is a bowl of old fashion oats, frozen mixed fruit (I like a blueberry/blackberry mix), and maybe some non-fat plain greek yogurt and/or a glass a of plain soy milk. Alternatively, a couple of scrambled eggs with a piece of toast and a bananna is fairly healthy. A fried egg on an English muffin also isn't a terrible way to start the day. Target ~400 cals, Try and get some protein and fiber in there. Watch out for…

I used a CGM recently. I tried breakfast as oatmeal with blueberries and mixed in with peanut butter. It spikes my blood sugar outside the "normal range". I treat oatmeal as once a week treat to avoid food boredom. The oatmeal was a "big bowl" variety from a packet. I heard rolled oats might be better but it's a hassle to cook. Most days breakfast is scrambled eggs (3 eggs), spinach, cheese. Sometimes I add tuna or a…

The packet probably was rolled oats. The other main option is steel cut, which take longer to cook. When I used to eat steel cut oats for breakfast, I used a rice cooker with a timer so it would be ready when I woke up. On the weekend, I'd use milk instead of water since I had plenty of time to wait for it to cook instead of setting it up the night before, which made using milk a bit of a risk.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#117
post #39
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually making decisions is pretty great. I quit a really heavy nicotine addiction by simply deciding I wasn't going to use nicotine anymore.

There are different kinds of dependencies; the human brain needs nicotine to function properly, more than you get from modern food. Not recommending tobacco, nor big pharma crap, there are supplements.

Interesting! Do you have some studies or references at hand for this?

Never heard of "human brain needs nicotine" before...

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#118
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One cup of black coffee, two eggs, and a piece of fruit.

2 eggs, you must be rich with the egg shortage nowadays.

even if im buying eggs from the most expensive farm here (a local bio/organic farm syndicate which delivers only the city here), i pay only 80 euro cents, and these are coming from a farm where you can literally select that one specific chicken to produce "your eggs".

where do you you live? this would be aronud 1,60EUR - this is not cheap but by far the highest quality you can buy across the whole conutry.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#119

It only takes a couple of days for a habit to stop, too. It's real easy to go from "I am a person who does this thing every day" to "I last did it half a week ago and I dunno". (Addictions are a different story of course.)

ADHD: I can form a new habit in two or so days, but I can also lose a habit I've been doing for years within a very short time.

Re: How long does it take to create a new habit? (2015)

#120

When I shifted to Bangalore and in March 2023, I faced water shortage (found out later it was a issue in the water supply pipes) I signed up to gym practically immediately, and used to go all days back then, just to have a bath. Hit the treadmill for 30-40 mins or lift for an hour,then have a bath. Used to gym earlier in 2022 but never got that to be a habit, but the habit stacking thing worked really well. Now that…

The gym had baths?

Formal definition would be shower rooms.
Post reply on HN