How long does it take to form new habits?

Hi everyone - I've read that (even though it may vary person to person) a new habit can be formed or broken in 35-45 days.

So since we're all in the boat of forming new healthier eating / gym attending / chocolate avoiding habits, I thought I'd ask the question.

How long did it take you to form your new lifestyle habit?

When did things like saying no to naughty foods, automatically going for healthier options, having less chocolate cravings etc happen for you?

I'm into my second week and the urge for chocolate biscuits all the time (and during the night OMG) has definitely subsided a bit but I know it's still there. It will always be there I guess. But I can tell that good habits are forming

I think you have answered your own question....and am sure it is different for each individual.  For me personally, it took a little while to get into the calorie counting and making the right food choices.  That's the food part.  The gym part...took about two weeks before the love of exercise took over.  Now I crave it and feel badly if I miss a workout.

Good habits are forming for you.  Keep up the good work!

I'm not sure. I know that I hardly eat chocolate (in a bar) now. I have sugar free boiled sweets at work of which i eat 1 - 3 a day. I haven't eaten crisps in like 2 months. I still have something, usually cake based with chocolate once a week.

I don't really think about those foods, unless i'm in the supermarket and it's staring me in the face. It's kinda hard then.

I now feel like I'm craving different food. For example, I crave chocolate milkshakes and frappechinos, and ice cream. I seem to crave things that I see that are on my way back from work.

I think this is very individualized. 

I was doing great in the exercise department for a few months.  Then, I went on vacation.  I have been struggling ever since.  I know I just need to be consistent and find that grove again.

a switch flipped inside my head. i am too angry to screw this up.

Current Weight, how long you have been over weight, eating habits already in place...will determine the length of time you will be able to break the habit.

And your discipline and determination.

echoing the above sentiments. in my own experience and i read somewhere too (cant remember) that it takes 21 days for your brain to recognise a routine. so really at least 3 weeks before your body/brain recognises that your in a routine but you yourself can form new habits in whatever time frame your able to handle etc

Weeks for a good habit.  Days for a bad habit (or sometimes, a single incident, if I let it).

That's a little tongue in cheek, but I think there's some truth in it.  Probably because many of my bad habits were formed  many years ago, and it is easy to slip back into them if I am not careful.

For me it was a realization right after college that I had packed on 20 lbs. aacckk! I decided to start excercising and eating healthy all at once. The eating healthy however came naturally only after 1-2 months i would say.

I gave up all whites- white flour, white bread, white rice and substituted that with whole grains. That was the easy part. I then weaned myself off of adding suagr- so no sugar in my tea, coffee, oatmeal. I gave up fried food/ high fatty food altogether and now I feel sick when I eat it since my body's no longer used to it. In short smal changes over a month or 2 made all the difference. And yes- i stopped buying all that stuff and keeping it around the house.

i still eat dessert and chocolate now but all in moderation and as treats. So don't worry, just stick to your guns and you'll get there!

Scientists say we need 3-6 weeks to form a habit....

About a month.

I had last week off for a vacation, and I came back yesterday with the intent of continuing my weight loss, but instead binged yesterday and today.  I need to get my good habits back! 

But what worked earlier in my progress was writing down exactly what I was going to eat, and telling myself to NOT budge from it. So I would right down the next day's meals, and then a note telling myself to eat ONLY was is written in.

30 day trials are good - you give yourself 30 days where you do something new or don't do something you have been - whatever it might be. so, you don't eat biscuits for 30 days. you don;'t say you'll never eat biscuits ever again - after the 30 days you can eat a biscuit if you want a biscuit. the idea is that because it is short term it is easier but that by the time you reach the end of the 30 day trial period you'll have broken the habit - or at least you'll be so proud of your 30 day achievement you will want to see if you can do another how ever many days and just keep going until the habit is broken - or - and this is an option - that you decide actually you want to keep eating biscuits or whatver - so you've had the benefit of 30 days without them (and you know you can do without them if you have to) but you make a conscious decision to keep the habit (the habit isn't keeping you). either way, you've done something positive for 30 days and your decision at the end of it is a conscious one - not one of cravings or routine or whatever. good luck!

I think its a bit of undoing old habits and replacing them with new good ones. I guess we need to keep reinforcing our new good habits to ensure they stick and so my answer is - as long as it takes.

Don't give up and try to get that good habit formed. We are creatures of habit and this is probably the very reason why we ended up overweight in the first place. My main problem was overeating, it was mostly out of habit. It took a while before I got used to the idea that I actually don't need and can live without that amount. Now calorie counting has become a habit (I think I may actually be obsessed with it!).

I wish you all the best of success in forming good habits that give you a healthier lifestyle.