Friday, March 15, 2019

Successful diet changes can be helped by saying "I don't" instead of "I can't"

I just read this article and I think it makes a great point, and one that might help others on their weight loss journey :)

https://betterhumans.coach.me/cant-kick-a-bad-habit-you-re-probably-doing-it-wrong-95ef1e0c2851

Here's the TLDR from the author:

  • The process for stopping bad habits is fundamentally different from forming new ones.
  • Existing behaviors etch a neural circuitry that makes unlearning an association between an action and a reward extremely difficult.
  • Whereas learning new habits follows a slow progression, stopping old behavioral tendencies requires a different approach.
  • A process I call “progressive extremism” utilizes what we know about the psychology of identity to help stop behaviors we don’t want.
  • By classifying specific behaviors as things you will never do again, you put certain actions into the realm of “I don’t” versus “I can’t.”

And an important quote: Identity helps us make otherwise difficult choices by offloading willpower.

In my own life: I was able to successfully lose weight when I stopped eating wheat and dairy, which had always upset my stomach but after I started taking a medication made me very ill to my stomach.

I decided to cut both from my diet. I lost 80lbs and have kept it off for over 2 years, I still just "don't" eat dairy and wheat.

Being "intolerant" to these types of foods is just part of who I am now, I've learned all kinds of recipes and what to order when I go out to eat so I can stick to this and keep feeling healthy and happy. The weight loss is more like a biproduct of this lifestyle and even identity change.

Anyway, hope this can help someone else too!

submitted by /u/pandastormy
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2TWUq5L

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