I have heard for ages that it takes 21 Days to make (or break) a habit. Well, I’ve been trying to break a few bad habits for a while now with no success. I really believe that my three worst habits are what is standing in the way between me and my goal weight.
I have made great progress and am pretty much an Intuitive Eater for “normal” meals and snacks. Pause – This is actually a really great thing and I am very proud of this! I want to pause and give myself credit for this at least 🙂
But, my progress is halted by my
1.) After dinner eating
2.) Snacking Mindlessly
3.) Eating past fullness to clean my plate
Today I realized that these habits are so ingrained in my life that I need extra help to stop them. I can’t just do it on sheer will for some reason.
At this point my bad habits are like smoking – they need some extra help to break them. But, they don’t make “Nicorette” for my habits, so I’m on my own.
It’s easy to think that switching to something like vaping might be a solution, especially when the urge to break free from old habits feels overwhelming. But just like with smoking, vaping comes with its own set of challenges.
I figured that switching to a product like the flavor beast vape could be a way to ease myself off the old habits, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was just a temporary fix.
The sweet flavors and nicotine might satisfy in the moment, but deep down, I knew I was still relying on something to cope instead of addressing the root of the problem. 
I don’t think I’m exaggerating with how ingrained my habits are since I’ve been doing them for well over 10 years. Actually, my nighttime snacking goes further than that because my mom would give my brother and I a snack every night growing up! Imagine just quitting cold turkey after doing this since I was a kid! Not easy.
I think I need a replacement or diversion from my nighttime snacking. For the next 21 days I’m going to replace my nighttime eating habit with a good book. I’ve decided that when the clock hits 9pm I’ll head to the bedroom for some reading before I go to sleep. Hopefully, this will be enough of a diversion that I’ll break this habit in 21 days.
I ended up staying awake super late last night and ate some cereal and blueberries while doing internet research on a few projects. Despite that, I knocked out 4 miles before breakfast.
Building new habits takes time and consistency, and finding healthier alternatives to snacking can make the transition smoother. A good book and a mindful bedtime routine might not completely erase the desire to snack, but pairing it with a light, nourishing option can make the process feel less restrictive and more sustainable.
Lunch– I wanted pizza for lunch, but didn’t have the ingredients to pull that off so I went with a grilled cheese sandwich.
The trick to getting a good grilled cheese (or quesadilla) is to put something heavy on top of the bread. It pushes it down and helps crisp the bread and melt the cheese. Sometimes I use a smaller heated pot, but today I went with a butter dish.
I ate hummus with bell peppers and chips while cooking. This happens every time I make anything, but is always undocumented. 
This has to be the best sandwich I’ve had in a very very long time! I stuffed it with tomatoes, onions and Cabot Sharp Cheddar cheese 🙂 
I know most people hate what the humidity does to their hair, but mine is super straight. I actually like the wave that a little bit of humidity gives it 🙂
I am moving in 11 days!
I’ve been packing and throwing things away all week (and I’m sick of it). Now I’m living out of suitcases because I packed my clothes yesterday. We are shipping all our stuff with the movers from a moving company and flying to California, so we will only have our checked baggage to live with for one month until we move into our new place! 
For the month of July Ben and I are going to be staying with my mom as our place won’t be ready until August.
I’m sad that we aren’t driving across the country again in the most epic road trip ever, but it’s actually more expensive and takes an extra week.
At least I can relive that trip via the blog:
Day One: The Roadtrip to End All
Next stop: So Salty
Now I have to get started on packing up the kitchen. I may be eating off of paper towels for the next week and half – this is bad business for a food blogger!
Your headline “21 day challenge run eat repeat…” discribes your content.
My son was laughing at me when reading this line on your post “… my nighttime eating habit with a good book. I…ve decided that when the clock hits 9pm I…ll head to the …” this is it, you just smashed it down pal.
nice movie this is i am download movies online for free or download hollywood movies
Thanks for the grilled cheese tip, the sandwich looks great- I love tomatoes in grilled cheese! Thanks from the farm families who own Cabot for recommending Cabot cheese!
~Jacquelyn
Really great site that you have built good info thanks.
There’s too much blood in my caffeine system.
Sent from my Android phone
If you enjoy an after dinner snack, you shouldn’t deprive yourself of it. You might want to work it into your meal plan and make it a healthy one. Eating 4-5 small meals and day and having the 5th be your snack (greek yogurt with cereal, fruit and cottage cheese, a protein shake, etc…) is the easiest way to do it (from my experience anyway). Good luck with your goals!!
I need to break some habits too! 21 days is a good way to look at it!
I love how my hair looks in humidity too!! It’s so straight and limp in California!
dude, right there with you breaking those habits. since we’re gonna be CA buddies soon can we be breaking habits buddies too!??!?!
🙂
Yes – double buddies it is!
I feel for you–I have the clean-your-plate and snacking problems, too. What’s helped a lot is to prepare a cup of caramel tea while I’m making dinner, having it right after dinner for something sweet, then brushing & flossing as soon as I’m done with the tea. I then polish my nails (I’m not a girly girl, so this is really an effort/big deal). If my polish from yesterday looks decent, I put a clear coat on top of it. If it’s chipped, I take it all off and start over again. I just can’t snack while putting on nail polish or while it’s drying, so this has helped a lot.
Good luck. I know how hard it can be to break bad habits even after you recognize them, but I’m sure you can do it. You’ve run marathons, for crying out loud! You CAN kick the snack monster’s butt!
Good luck with your challenge! I hadn’t heard the 21 day rule. I am currently trying to give up Diet Coke and failing miserably. This week I’ve made it 48 hours and then caved, and now I’m “back on the wagon” for 24 whole hours. It’s tough, but I am going to keep trying. Now that I have a 21 Day goal, I might do better with inspiration, so thanks!
I always back load my calories (eating at night). I basically counterbalance by really watching what I eat during the day. I know I can get crazy at night, even if I have eaten heavier during the day.
Giving up smoking is tough, but if its what you want to do then I’m betting you can do it.
I think you should drink water when you feel hungry after, you might just be thirsty.
I agree about the cleaning your plate thing. It can be so hard to push away good food even though you’re full. One thing that worked for me was using smaller dishes and utensils so that I get the appearance of a full bowl and am satisfied but not stuffed if I eat everything I serve myself. If I’m still hungry I can always go back and get more, but I usually don’t (often because I put all the leftovers in the fridge before eating that way I’m not tempted to eat past hunger later). Good luck with everything!
I used to be terrible about snacking after dinner. It was a really bad habit and every night I would go to bed uncomfortably full because I ate too much cereal. I decided I didn’t like that feeling, so I’ve been able to wean myself off of the nighttime snacking.
I think the book idea is great.
Good luck with the rest of your moving details. 11 days will go by really quickly. Are you having your cars shipped back to California? I dread cross country moves (which might happen for us next year) because of all the driving. Now we have two cars, so we have to caravan and that gets kind of old.
I think the book is a good idea. I also brush my teeth right after dinner. That helps with the snacking. Good luck with the move!
I wish they made Sugarette that would help me stop eating so much sugar! 🙂
Your notes on packing/moving make me nervous since we’re moving at the end of July! But our move is only 7 hours away – not all the way across the country!
Sugarette, I’d love that! =)
It’s very hard to break habits, especially ones you grew up with! Good luck:)