How to Make Big Changes in Less Than 28 Days
I’ve heard it over and over, it takes 21 days to break a habit (or start a new one). But I’ve never really thought of myself as someone with strong will power so honestly, it’s not often I can last that long.
Yes, I went dairy free for my daughter for 9 months, but looking back I feel like that was more divine intervention. It seems silly, I’ll have to save that explanation for another time…
When I went dairy free for my son, I had a really hard time. Lots of slip ups and giving into temptation. I reintroduced dairy too early and his symptoms, like chronic congestion and digestive discomfort, never fully disappeared.
Last month, after a series of events over a day or two, I decided I needed to cut dairy and now eggs. Cutting eggs from my diet made me nervous – they were one of my favorite go-to foods for breakfast, lunch, and even the occasional dinner. I honestly couldn’t imagine even a couple of days without a single egg for breakfast.
So, I told myself it would be an experiment. Just a month. Cut eggs for a month and then see how Bradley does. I could do a month. Having a goal, a deadline, in mind made it just a little bit easier from the start.
The first two weeks were tough. I was literally counting the days. Most days I like a savory breakfast so I needed to find a replacement for that. I tried savory oatmeal – loved it! I Tried a chickpea and eggplant scramble – it was delicious but it was certainly not eggs. I even started just eating leftovers for breakfast; I’m not sure why I’ve never done that before!
After hitting the two-week-mark, I stopped counting egg-free days and things just started to fall into place. I didn’t really have to think about it anymore. It made ordering at restaurants a little bit more difficult and made me feel slightly more obnoxious than when I was simply dairy free, but no biggie.
Two days ago I made it to one month without eggs, and guess what? I still haven’t had one! I can’t say there’s any huge difference in the way I feel and I know I’ll eat an egg soon enough, but I just don’t really need or want one yet. [Edit, I had eggs for breakfast after 1 month and 3 days, then Bradley had a rough night so I am back to egg free]
More than anything, my month without eggs has proved to me that it is possible to make a change, any change, in less than 28 days.
When going dairy free, I teach moms that the most important factor is your “why”, your motivation. Without that, it’s hard to stay strong when temptation presents itself. But, from this little experiment I did on myself, I learned a few more tips for making change stick:
- Have an end date in mind
- Be gentle with yourself, think of it as an experiment – not a new way of life
- Be open to new things
- Know that the first week or two will be the hardest, if you stick with it for that long, the rest will be easy
Have you tried to break a habit, or create a new one? What was your experience? How long did it take you?