The 1° Principle and Small Shifts Create Big Wins in Weight Loss
- May 26, 2025
- 6 min read
Michele DeJesus, PhD, NBC-HWC is a board-certified & Mayo Clinic-certified Health Coach and an ACE-certified Personal Trainer with a PhD, in Holistic Nutrition. She is the CEO of a 26-year coaching business, successfully guiding adults in transforming their health, fitness and weight loss.
When most people decide it’s time to lose weight, they go all in. They overhaul their diet, start exercising daily, cut out sugar, commit to waking up earlier, drink a gallon of water, meditate, and promise themselves they’ll stick to it this time. It’s a full-on lifestyle makeover.
But within days or maybe weeks, life gets busy, motivation fades, and those big changes start to feel impossible. The result? Another cycle of self-blame and frustration. Sound familiar?
Here’s the good news: lasting change doesn’t require a dramatic overhaul. In fact, science tells us that big change is more likely to stick when it starts small. Tiny, manageable shifts are not only more sustainable, they also rewire your brain in a way that creates real, lasting transformation. I call this The 1° Principle for Weight Loss.
What is the 1° principle?
Imagine a ship sailing across the ocean. If the captain adjusts the course by just 1 degree, it doesn’t look like much at first. But over time, that small shift, compounded daily, will take the ship to a completely different destination.
The same is true for behavior change. You don’t need to leap from where you are to some far-off ideal overnight. All it takes is a small, consistent shift, a 1-degree change in behavior that steers you in a healthier direction. Over time, these tiny course corrections add up to powerful, permanent results.
And this isn’t just a nice metaphor, it’s grounded in neuroscience.
Why small is smart
Your brain is always working to protect you. When it senses something unfamiliar or overwhelming, it often triggers a stress response, a flood of cortisol and adrenaline designed to keep you safe from danger. This is great if you’re facing a physical threat, but not so helpful when you’re trying to change your eating habits.
Big, sudden changes like cutting out entire food groups or jumping into intense exercise can set off alarm bells in your brain. Even if your conscious mind is on board, your subconscious perceives these shifts as a threat to your stability and comfort. It resists. You fall back into old patterns, not because you’re weak or lazy, but because your brain is wired to keep you in the familiar.
Small changes, on the other hand, fly under the radar. A subtle shift, like adding one vegetable to your lunch or taking a five-minute walk, doesn’t trigger the same stress response. Instead, your brain registers the change as safe, doable, and even rewarding.
The science of rewiring
Every time you repeat a behavior, your brain strengthens the neural pathways that support it. It’s like walking a trail through a forest: the more you use it, the clearer and easier it becomes.
Unhelpful habits (like snacking late at night or skipping movement) are simply well-worn trails in your brain. You didn’t build them overnight, and you won’t change them overnight either. But here’s the powerful part: your brain is capable of change at any age. It’s called neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.
Small, consistent actions are the best way to create these new paths. When you make a 1-degree change and repeat it often, your brain starts to prefer this new behavior. Eventually, it becomes your default.
For example:
Instead of swearing off carbs, you swap your afternoon cookie for Greek yogurt a few times a week.
Rather than forcing yourself into an hour-long workout, you stretch for 10 minutes each morning.
You replace nightly TV snacking with brushing your teeth right after dinner.
Individually, these shifts may seem insignificant. But over time, they become a new pattern, a new trail your brain prefers to walk.
Consistency beats intensity
Most people underestimate the power of consistency and overestimate the importance of intensity. But neuroscience shows us that what you do repeatedly shapes your brain far more than what you do occasionally with intensity.
Think of it this way: going to the gym once for two hours doesn’t rewire your brain. But walking for 15 minutes every day? That starts to lay new neural tracks. The same applies to food choices, sleep patterns, stress management, and even your thoughts about your body.
The 1° Principle works because it honors how your brain actually builds habits: through repetition and reward. Each small win gives your brain a little dopamine hit, a feel-good signal that says, “Do that again.” And when the change feels doable, you’re more likely to repeat it.
Reduce resistance
Another powerful benefit of the 1° Principle is that it lowers internal resistance. You’re not asking your brain or your body to do something extreme. Instead, you’re building trust with yourself.
When you follow through on small promises, drink an extra glass of water, take a deep breath before eating, and journal for five minutes, you build confidence. Your inner dialogue begins to shift from “I always give up” to “I’m someone who shows up.”
That sense of self-trust is one of the most underrated tools in weight loss. Because once you start seeing yourself as someone who keeps going even imperfectly no longer need willpower. You’ve become someone who lives differently. And that’s how change lasts.
Real-life 1° examples
Here are some small shifts that can lead to big results over time:
Before: Skip breakfast and overeat at night. 1° Shift: Eat a protein-rich breakfast three days this week.
Before: Feel too tired to exercise after work. 1° Shift: Put on sneakers and walk around the block before dinner.
Before: Eat mindlessly while scrolling. 1° Shift: Sit at the table for at least one meal per day with no devices.
Before: Use food to soothe stress. 1° Shift: Take three deep breaths and walk away before reaching for food when upset.
Before: Feel overwhelmed by meal planning. 1° Shift: Prep one lunch option you like and repeat it for three days.
None of these shifts requires a major overhaul. But over time, they reshape your habits, your brain, and ultimately, your body.
What about my big dreams?
Now, let me be clear, this isn’t about playing small. The 1° Principle doesn’t diminish your big goals, your 10x dreams, or your boldest vision for the future. In fact, it supports them. Big visions are powerful; they excite you, stretch you, and invite you to step outside your comfort zone. But reaching those dreams isn’t about giant leaps every day. It’s about one intentional step at a time. The 1° Principle keeps you moving without burning out, so you can actually become the woman who lives out that bold, expansive vision. Step by step, shift by shift, you get there.
Progress you can feel
What makes the 1° Principle so powerful is that it’s designed for real life. It respects your schedule, your energy levels, your responsibilities, and your biology.
Instead of chasing perfection, it invites you to pursue alignment, choosing actions that support your goals while also supporting your nervous system. You don’t need to fight your brain. You can work with it.
So the next time you’re tempted to hit reset with another extreme plan, pause and ask yourself:
“What’s one 1-degree shift I can make today that moves me in the direction of who I want to become?”
That small step might not feel like much right now. But keep taking it, and you’ll look back months from now and realize you’ve arrived somewhere completely new.
And the best part? You’ll know how to stay there.
To learn more about how I harness the power of the 1° Principle and use other self-directed neuroplasticity tools to support my clients’ ability to conquer weight loss and transform their health, here’s a free masterclass link.
Read more from Michele DeJesus
Michele DeJesus, Health Coach/Weight Loss Specialist
Michele DeJesus, PhD, NBC-HWC is a board-certified & Mayo Clinic-certified Health Coach and an ACE-certified Personal Trainer with a PhD. in Holistic Nutrition. She is the CEO of a 26-year coaching business, successfully guiding adults in transforming their health, fitness and weight loss. Michele has been featured in the IDEA Health & Fitness online magazine as well as numerous television appearances speaking about fitness, weight loss and health. She is the host of the Facebook group Midlife Confidence: Women Conquering Weight Loss and the creator of an online 12-week weight loss intensive for midlife women. Her mission is to support midlife women in creating their own health & wellness renaissance.
