Happy 2nd of January! If you’re reading this, congratulations—you’re still at least pretending to chase down your New Year’s resolutions and haven’t yet succumbed to the gravitational pull of the Quality Street tin. This article is a follow-up to yesterday’s piece, where I mused that Spring is a much better time to begin a big new regime. But here we are—winter in the UK, the dark mornings stretching out like an empty credit card statement, and the gym suddenly full of people in suspiciously crisp sportswear. Let’s be honest: statistically, most New Year’s resolutions are about as persistent as the British sun in January. Recent figures show just under 1 in 10 people (about 8%) keep their resolutions for a single month, with only 22% still holding onto them by March. Most people start feeling the wheels wobble right about now, and by the time daffodils show up, gyms everywhere have tumbleweed rolling between the squat racks. Specifically, up to 80% of new gym members quit within five months—and a significant chunk have vanished by the end of February. So if you’re still lacing up your gym trainers by Pancake Day, you’re already in the upper decile! Building Habits: The (Not So) Magic Number You might have heard it takes 21 days to form a habit. Sorry to say, it’s a myth propagated by self-help books clinging on longer than your average January diet. The gold-standard research by Phillippa Lally at UCL found that, on average, it takes 66 days of consistent behaviour for a new habit to become automatic. For some people, it’s as short as 18 days, for others, a whopping 254 days—your mileage may vary depending on the habit, motivation, and your tendency to get distracted by reality TV. So, if you’re feeling disheartened by your mid-winter wobble, remember: you’re still well within the ‘normal’ teething period. Tips For Making Resolutions Stick - Start small: Minor, sustainable changes beat massive overhauls. - Habit stacking: Attach your new behaviour to an existing routine (e.g., do your push-ups while waiting for the kettle). - Track it: Don’t rely on memory—use a calendar or app to mark each day you complete your target. - Social support: Let friends, family, or an online community know your plans. They’ll help keep you honest (and it’s harder to skip leg day when your mates are watching). - Celebrate wins: Give yourself a mental gold star for progress, not perfection.

I would be curious to know what your why is for adopting a carnivore lifestyle? Did it start as something different from what it is now? For me I struggled for years with obesity. Then I had gastric bypass surgery in 2007. Two years after that I developed post-bariatric reactive hypoglycemia. For years, I had no idea what it was or how to treat it, all I knew was that it just kept getting worse. I never got an official diagnosis, but after years of researching my symptoms, I finally found the name for what I had. Then in 2016, I went on a ketogenic diet to lose weight (I had gotten back up to 195 pounds at 5'3"). It was during that time that I discovered the link between diet and controlling the RH symptoms. That worked for a long time, and my reactions became less and less frequent. Then I tried to add some more carbohydrates back in... mostly to get more fiber since I was also battling with chronic constipation. None of that helped. In 2013 and 2021, I had bowel obstructions that required surgery, and in 2021, I actually lost an additional length of my bowel. I have no duodenum whatsoever, so malabsorption is a big issue for me. I tried paleo and Whole30, and those were okay... but I still was having issues. Then on Thanksgiving 2024 I had a paleo meal.... something I had eaten many times... it was very meat-heavy, hardly any carbohydrates really... just a bit of plain sweet potato with butter and cinnamon, turkey, and some green beans. A meal that should have been totally fine.... HOWEVER... I had one of the worst RH reactions ever. It was after that I gave up carbs completely... at least for the next 3 of 4 months. I have been able to test and add a few non-carnivore things back in, but I am now 98% carnivore and I feel the best I ever have! No more constipation, no more psoriasis, no more bleeding gums... ADHD.... and best of all, no more hypoglycemia episodes, which came along with a lovely dose of neuroglycopenia. I will never go back to my old way of eating!

Before carnivore when I was eating a lot of carbs the sun was harmful because I had to have pre-cancerous skin removed by the dermatologist. I am a roofer and out in the sun so I wore protective clothing and still had problems. Knock on wood, the last five years I have had zero pre-cancerous lesions removed. I hope it continues.

Something I posted in another group... https://youtu.be/mkw0SrLAk-k?si=bGTgZGvIVT3kUpHT

I'm new here. I've been active on Healing Humanity Life for the past 6 months. Don't really know how to get started here? What kind of posts do people want to see/discuss? I'm 56, had surgery for Ovarian Cancer last February (where they took everything, including my appendix). No health issues aside from that. I have been dealing with kidney stones/oxalate dumping since October that has left me with blood in my urine nearly daily and a bit of incontinence that isn't bad, but depresses me. So that's my current story.