Hi Weight Loss Seekers
You know what it is like when you are on a diet or just trying to be healthy and you are presented with so many food temptations.
If you really don’t want to eat some treat then how you say it to yourself and others will make a big difference.
An interesting study on making good food choices tested three different responses to being offered some tempting treat.
The first group simply said “no”, to the treat.
The second group said “I can’t eat that”
The third group said “I don’t eat that”
Over time the no group were successful just 10% of the time in avoiding the treat.
The can’t group were 30% successful.
But the “I don’t eat that” group were 80% successful.
The message here is that words we say to ourselves and others are very powerful.
No seems like is a strong response, but it appears that it is lacking in conviction and is very short lived.
I can’t, while better, implies there is an internal struggle.
But “I don’t” is strong but more importantly goes to your identity. You are simply saying to yourself and others that you are not a person who eats certain foods.
How ridged you are about this will depend on what you want to achieve or how important these changes are to your wellbeing.
Some practitioners offer a cheat day. I personally believe this is to attract clients, and not to be perceived as being too hard. A regular cheat day tends to over do the bad foods which can take another two days to recover from. This means you only have four days each week
But if you need to, then a cheat meal which is still fun and won’t set you back too much. Of course special occasions don’t have to be suffered through. Do what you want within reason and then just get back to your healthy diet as quickly as possible.
Holidays can be a challenge, but only if your break revolves around food. Savor your special treats and perhaps focus on those healthy choices which you may not have at home.
e.g. Order the most amazing steak or splash out for lobster and avoid the dessert and bread starters. There is always a way when you are open to finding that way. e.g. in the past for special televised sporting events I would stock up on salty snacks and dips, but now I just get some awesome ribs and go easy on the sauce.
Wishing you Vibrant Health
Ian & Dr Susan Newton