By restricting ourselves in food, we fight temptation every day. The brain comes up with ways to break the diet and at the same time justify itself. And now we are already tormented by guilt. We’re worried that we couldn’t resist. But is there a way not to break loose and still lose weight? Psychologist Glenn Livingston shares a proven and effective method for dealing with momentary temptations.
Many of us at least once in our lives have been on a diet or restricted ourselves to food for one reason or another. But the attractive power of «delicious» is irresistible, so we succumb to temptation from time to time, and then we come to our senses and try to find an excuse for such promiscuity. The day was difficult, we quarreled with a partner, the children behaved terribly — you can think of many reasons, but they do not save you from feelings of guilt.
Correct wording
Psychologist Glenn Livingston argues that we need to be more careful about the wording when it comes to tasty but unhealthy food. Avoid phrases like «This cake tempts me …». Speaking and thinking in this way, you seem to transfer the responsibility for your choice to something else. As a result, overeating happens as if by itself, against your will.
“A delicious cake cannot make you quit your diet,” he writes. “You yourself, consciously, decided to violate your own rules or doctor’s prescriptions.” That is, it will be more honest and effective to say to yourself: “I decided not to eat it, but I changed my mind and ate it.” The psychologist believes that in this way we regain the ability to make choices.
Clear boundaries
We need to clearly define what and when we can eat, set the boundaries of what is permitted. For example, we decided that we only allowed ourselves chocolate on Saturdays. This mindset will keep you from slipping when your brain tries to break the rule.
The psychologist reminds you that you should choose the right speech turns. There is a difference between «I only eat chocolate on Saturdays» and «I give up chocolate 90% of the time». The first phrase sounds unambiguous, the second requires decisions in each specific situation: can we eat candy now or not? In what period of time are we — in the permitted 10% or in the forbidden 90%? Needless to say, the brain will immediately find a loophole. But the “I only eat chocolate on Saturdays” mindset makes our “chocolate” decisions for us.
It is also important to understand why we limit ourselves in a particular product. For example, we decided to give up chocolate not only because it makes us fat, but also because it makes us sleep badly. And as soon as the brain comes up with a reason to break a clear rule, we challenge its arguments.
writing practice
An important part of the method is to write down all the false statements that the brain comes up with to throw us off course. Then, for each item, you need to ask the question: “Is this a lie or a truth?” Sometimes the explanation for why it is necessary to deviate from the rules of healthy nutrition is so convincing that it is difficult to detect deception behind it.
For example, in a supermarket we see a chocolate bar. The brain says: “Oh-oh-oh! We burned enough calories on our run this morning that we won’t put on weight if we indulge in this little prank.» But after all, we have already written something like this into our list of false statements and explained to ourselves in writing why this reason to break loose is disrespectful. We remember that it’s not just about weight, but also about pressure and quality of sleep. And, having discovered a lie that is cleverly hidden behind a half-truth, we decide to give up the temptation.
This simple technique is effective and allows you to quickly lose weight. But don’t abuse it. “Customer experience shows that excessive restrictions almost always lead to overeating,” says Livingston. — It is optimal to lose 400-900 g per week. It’s best to consult with a nutritionist first. He will help to make a diet so as to remain within this norm.
About the author: Glenn Livingston is a psychologist who studies eating behavior.