This is an interesting concept I saw on Reddit this morning. I was reading the post of a gentleman who lost about 35 lbs recently, and he said he did it by focusing on habits instead of rules. It made me think about my own success, and I think it has a lot to do with how I did it.

I focused on creating new habits and on changing my eating habits not for the short-term, but for life. I knew that I couldn’t keep doing what I’d been doing for years, and that a real, permanent change was necessary. I had to change my habits. I had to get away from not caring about what I eat, eating until I was stuffed, and eating anything I wanted to. I needed to adopt habits that were conducive to me being healthy. Anything to the contrary had to go.

Following rules is simple, but falls apart when you fail to create the habits necessary to allow the rules to become the laws by which you live, thereby undoing the rules themselves. By creating the good habits, rules become the new normal, and they seem less restrictive.

Today, I have fully adopted the Paleo Diet, and for me, it is the law of the land. I don’t consider eating it if it’s not Paleo, and my health is better for it. It also feels effortless. I’m not suffering, sacrificing, or missing out. I have created the habits that enabled me to succeed.