Mindset
Add something instead of banning something
Every rule you make is a rule you have to keep. Additions don't work like that.
What it’s worth
Adding a behaviour has roughly double the effect of cutting one
Do this
- →Pick one thing to add this week: more protein, more vegetables, more water, one more walk.
- →Leave everything else alone. Genuinely.
- →Let the addition crowd things out on its own, rather than legislating against them.
Why it works
Restriction requires vigilance that has to be sustained indefinitely, and it makes the banned thing more salient. Adding something asks for one decision and creates no forbidden category to rebel against later.
The evidence
Implementation-intention research finds a substantially larger effect for adding a behaviour than for cutting one. The pattern holds across the behaviour-change literature.
The honest bit
Slower, and that's the trade. If you want a dramatic four-week result, this isn't it. If you want to still be doing it at Christmas, it is.
Knowing it isn’t the hard part
You’ve just read the tactic. The difficult bit is the Tuesday in six weeks when you’re tired and it’s raining. Milo is a coach you text like a friend: it knows which of these you’re working on, notices when it slips, and brings it up once rather than nagging.
See how Milo worksTry next
- Wait out the craving instead of fighting it — Cravings peak in about five minutes. Suppressing them makes them worse.
- Swap the sugary drinks — The single biggest win available to anyone who drinks their calories, and it costs almost nothing.
- Sleep a bit longer, eat noticeably less — If you're under about six and a half hours, this is a bigger lever than most diets.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18, talk to a healthcare professional before changing how you eat or train.