Hey, I missed this thread until today! And I still haven't read that Kessler book yet, there are still 8 people ahead of me on the library hold list!

I don't think we can emphasize the power of habit enough. When we talk about lifestyle & way of eating, the habits that we have are the foundation of that, I think. My habits used to be to go to drive thrus at lunch and stop at the convenience store for junk food on way home from work. Now my habits include packing breakfast to work, coming home for a salad for lunch and cooking a lean protein for dinner at home. I would have to go out of my way and make a special effort to stop for chips at the store or go to drive thru for lunch. Heck, I don't think I even remember to keep enough cash in my wallet anymore to do either of those anymore.

But those habits take time to build. It's also important not to cultivate the good habits, figure out the ones that work and don't work for us and practice them until they become second nature.