Yesterday I wrote about how hard it is to break unhealthy habits and that one solution can be putting space between you and temptation. Sometimes we can do that by avoiding stores when we are hungry, not buying junk food treats that trip our trigger, or even putting tempting foods somewhere that we can't readily see or reach them.
I read about a new study that reveals we have another tool right at hand. Literally. When you are facing your temptation, whether that is chips or candy in the vending machine at work or something in the store or your own home, according to this study if you clench your fist it will help.
It isn't something that works long-term...but it can be an immediate boost for you when face-to-face with temptation.
Fists aren't the only things that work either--although it is harder to reach for that pint of Ben & Jerry's without the use of fingers! You can clench any muscles for the same effect. So if your hands are otherwise occupied squeeze you buttocks. Then you get a little isometric exercising it at the same time!
Study published by the Journal of Consumer Research
Showing posts with label willpower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label willpower. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Weight Loss Challenge: Immediate Pleasure vs I Know Better
I've mentioned recently how I think setting New Year's resolutions sucks, we'll now I actually have some science to back up my beliefs. Love it when that happens!
Strike one against our efforts to lose weight...big surprise: we like sweets! Turns out humans are genetically built to prefer sweeter tasting foods than bitter ones. This was good for procreation and safety as more bitter tasting foods were poisonous than sweet ones. Survival of the fittest (or sweetest) at work--those who didn't eat the poison survived.
We also get a hit of dopamine when we eat foods that we enjoy...dopamine is a pleasure-sensing hormone and it reinforces the pleasure aspect of eating those foods. So every time we eat something that tastes super yummy we get a hit of dopamine and so we want it even more.
So we like sweets and then foods that taste really good give us a brain buzz.
This double whammy makes it really hard to break a habit. We may have really good intentions (like setting a resolution) but this dopamine hit is more than just a bad habit...it actually hard-wires us to want the substance, even when we have a better reward in the future. So much for willpower!
So it is a showdown between our intellect and our biology. Dr Nora Volkow is an authority on the brain's pleasure sensing pathway and she says this is why unhealthy actions become habits and why they are so hard to break.
Not only are habits hard to break, for some reason we think we will be able to handle temptation better than we really can.
Loran Norgren is a psychologist at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and in their studies they have documented that people who put more obstacles between themselves and the temptation have a much better success rate at not giving in. They have also shown that people tend to overestimate their ability to withstand the temptation...and that leads to their downfall.
Lessons from this?
Immediate pleasure is a powerful thing--and certainly not all bad (that procreation thing, remember But in our effort to lose weight, sometimes we need to put a little distance between ourselves and our food temptation. At least until we can unwire our brains.
Another thing we can do to help us overcome the pull of that immediate pleasure is to be very aware of when we eat and why. Reducing emotional reasons and environmental stimulation really helps. Don't go to the grocery store hungry for one. And don't stock up on your favorite treats to test yourself...studies show odds are you will "not be the biggest loser" if you get my drift.
As far as I am concerned learning to really love ourselves is one of the biggest weapons we have against the pull of immediate pleasure. When we love ourselves we naturally want to take care of our bodies and eat healthier foods. It doesn't mean that we will never want a treat, it does mean that we will be less inclined to have to binge over it. And if we do binge, we will be better able to forgive ourselves and move on.
In the meantime, loving ourselves might just mean putting some distance between a food we love and the bodies we love, at least temporarily!
Strike one against our efforts to lose weight...big surprise: we like sweets! Turns out humans are genetically built to prefer sweeter tasting foods than bitter ones. This was good for procreation and safety as more bitter tasting foods were poisonous than sweet ones. Survival of the fittest (or sweetest) at work--those who didn't eat the poison survived.
We also get a hit of dopamine when we eat foods that we enjoy...dopamine is a pleasure-sensing hormone and it reinforces the pleasure aspect of eating those foods. So every time we eat something that tastes super yummy we get a hit of dopamine and so we want it even more.
So we like sweets and then foods that taste really good give us a brain buzz.
This double whammy makes it really hard to break a habit. We may have really good intentions (like setting a resolution) but this dopamine hit is more than just a bad habit...it actually hard-wires us to want the substance, even when we have a better reward in the future. So much for willpower!
So it is a showdown between our intellect and our biology. Dr Nora Volkow is an authority on the brain's pleasure sensing pathway and she says this is why unhealthy actions become habits and why they are so hard to break.
Not only are habits hard to break, for some reason we think we will be able to handle temptation better than we really can.
Loran Norgren is a psychologist at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and in their studies they have documented that people who put more obstacles between themselves and the temptation have a much better success rate at not giving in. They have also shown that people tend to overestimate their ability to withstand the temptation...and that leads to their downfall.
Lessons from this?
Immediate pleasure is a powerful thing--and certainly not all bad (that procreation thing, remember But in our effort to lose weight, sometimes we need to put a little distance between ourselves and our food temptation. At least until we can unwire our brains.
Another thing we can do to help us overcome the pull of that immediate pleasure is to be very aware of when we eat and why. Reducing emotional reasons and environmental stimulation really helps. Don't go to the grocery store hungry for one. And don't stock up on your favorite treats to test yourself...studies show odds are you will "not be the biggest loser" if you get my drift.
As far as I am concerned learning to really love ourselves is one of the biggest weapons we have against the pull of immediate pleasure. When we love ourselves we naturally want to take care of our bodies and eat healthier foods. It doesn't mean that we will never want a treat, it does mean that we will be less inclined to have to binge over it. And if we do binge, we will be better able to forgive ourselves and move on.
In the meantime, loving ourselves might just mean putting some distance between a food we love and the bodies we love, at least temporarily!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Weight Loss Success, a Big Sweet Tooth, Depression and Cravings
I had to write more about the recent study I read that showed a link between a preference for sweet tastes and depression and/or alcoholism. (If you haven't read yesterday's post, then you might want to read that before you read this one.)
This study really struck a chord with me...I know that one of the reasons I packed on pounds was because I chose to eat rather than face and express my emotions. And I know I am not alone in that department.
I've also been learning about how important it is to keep our brain chemistry balanced in order to function at our best. By keeping our hormones balanced we are less apt to go into depression...and, is it ironic that we also suffer from fewer cravings?
One of the reasons we eat sugars...whether that is actually sugar in the form of sweets, ice creams, cookies, candy, or sugars in the form of simple carbohydrates like pasta, bread and the like...is because they make us feel good. At least in the short-term. Generally when we grab that feel-good food we don't think about--or don't care--about the consequences...that we are going to have the sugar crash later. Some of us just keep eating the sugars so we never have to feel the crash.
I don't know if I reached for treats to soothe my feelings because from early on I recognized that it felt good...or if there was some genetic switch that got triggered that caused me to crave them more and more. Which came first? Did one cause the other?
What I do know is that relying on foods to help me get "high" did not help me in the long run. Not only did I not learn how to deal with my emotions, I also got fat...and on top of THAT, I had the privilege of feeling bad about myself because I thought I had no willpower...that I was weak.
I do not believe that this study indicates that some kids are destined to become fat, or alcoholic, or depressed. I believe that we have so much more power over our lives than that. Does it mean that we might have some challenges that other people don't face. Sure...but that does not to limit us, nor does it have to identify us.
Perhaps we can use a preference for sweets as a flag...if I want something sweet, is it possible that I have waited too long to eat healthy foods and therefore my brain is simply sending out a signal that it needs sugar? If I prefer to eat something sweet when I am sad, this could be an indication that I need to get more serotonin, or dopamine or endorphins...the "feel good" chemicals our bodies love and create...so what are other ways to get those chemicals? Exercise is one way.
We can't just stop eating...we have to eat in order to live...but we don't have to live to eat....on the other hand we don't have to constantly deprive ourselves to be thin--cuz that is no life!
If we have a mindset that we are predestined to be fat, or that we always crave sugar, or that we have a problem with food...or whatever message we have gotten about food and our bodies...as long as we have that mindset, we will have a real challenge to losing weight.
So don't beat yourself up for liking sweets...don't chastise yourself if you have a dessert (and Heaven forbid, you actually enjoy it!)...instead, shift your mindset. Learn to think like a naturally thin person. Start to believe that you can eat and be healthy. Know that you can be aware of what you eat and when you eat...and that you can consciously make a decision about whether you want to make that choice today, this minute.
Dieting is hard because it only addresses the food...the calories in and out. Changing our eating habits is more about our mindset than the actual food. And changing those eating habits is much easier to do when we change our thinking first!
Decide that you CAN eat healthily...and that you deserve health. Know that you FEEL so much better when you fuel your body with healthy foods...foods that nourish you. Come from that perspective and you will find a big reduction in your sugar cravings and a big reduction in your waistline, too!
This study really struck a chord with me...I know that one of the reasons I packed on pounds was because I chose to eat rather than face and express my emotions. And I know I am not alone in that department.
I've also been learning about how important it is to keep our brain chemistry balanced in order to function at our best. By keeping our hormones balanced we are less apt to go into depression...and, is it ironic that we also suffer from fewer cravings?
One of the reasons we eat sugars...whether that is actually sugar in the form of sweets, ice creams, cookies, candy, or sugars in the form of simple carbohydrates like pasta, bread and the like...is because they make us feel good. At least in the short-term. Generally when we grab that feel-good food we don't think about--or don't care--about the consequences...that we are going to have the sugar crash later. Some of us just keep eating the sugars so we never have to feel the crash.
I don't know if I reached for treats to soothe my feelings because from early on I recognized that it felt good...or if there was some genetic switch that got triggered that caused me to crave them more and more. Which came first? Did one cause the other?
What I do know is that relying on foods to help me get "high" did not help me in the long run. Not only did I not learn how to deal with my emotions, I also got fat...and on top of THAT, I had the privilege of feeling bad about myself because I thought I had no willpower...that I was weak.
I do not believe that this study indicates that some kids are destined to become fat, or alcoholic, or depressed. I believe that we have so much more power over our lives than that. Does it mean that we might have some challenges that other people don't face. Sure...but that does not to limit us, nor does it have to identify us.
Perhaps we can use a preference for sweets as a flag...if I want something sweet, is it possible that I have waited too long to eat healthy foods and therefore my brain is simply sending out a signal that it needs sugar? If I prefer to eat something sweet when I am sad, this could be an indication that I need to get more serotonin, or dopamine or endorphins...the "feel good" chemicals our bodies love and create...so what are other ways to get those chemicals? Exercise is one way.
We can't just stop eating...we have to eat in order to live...but we don't have to live to eat....on the other hand we don't have to constantly deprive ourselves to be thin--cuz that is no life!
If we have a mindset that we are predestined to be fat, or that we always crave sugar, or that we have a problem with food...or whatever message we have gotten about food and our bodies...as long as we have that mindset, we will have a real challenge to losing weight.
So don't beat yourself up for liking sweets...don't chastise yourself if you have a dessert (and Heaven forbid, you actually enjoy it!)...instead, shift your mindset. Learn to think like a naturally thin person. Start to believe that you can eat and be healthy. Know that you can be aware of what you eat and when you eat...and that you can consciously make a decision about whether you want to make that choice today, this minute.
Dieting is hard because it only addresses the food...the calories in and out. Changing our eating habits is more about our mindset than the actual food. And changing those eating habits is much easier to do when we change our thinking first!
Decide that you CAN eat healthily...and that you deserve health. Know that you FEEL so much better when you fuel your body with healthy foods...foods that nourish you. Come from that perspective and you will find a big reduction in your sugar cravings and a big reduction in your waistline, too!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Crash! Hit By A Truck
The clock reads 5:15pm. It feels like midnight. I feel completely drained, like I've been hit by a truck. My brain is foggy--can't...make...simple...decisions. Suddenly, all I wanted was to eat and sleep.
That's what I wrote the Sunday evening. What hit me wasn't a truck (thank goodness) but I had a crash of another sort. I hadn't really eaten since 8am...not true, I had a Sunday treat at noon...a cup of coffee and a slice of nut and fruit bread. Very little food, and even less protein all day.
Scientifically, my blood sugar tanked...(don't you love it when I use technical jargon?)
Personally, I felt like crap.
This put me into a danger zone--I was fully capable of eating the entire house...not just the contents of the cupboard.
I know better, and it would have been easy to beat myself up for getting myself into that situation...fortunately I chose not to go that route...but I'm telling you, it is a lot easier to make healthy food choices BEFORE the crash. After a crash, you body is screaming for sugar...simple, refined sugars that get you pumping quickly. Trouble is, it sets you up for another crash if you don't combine those carbs with protein.
I used to have these crashes pretty frequently. I was good at pushing through and ignoring my body's signals...hunger, pain, fatigue. And I was also good at pushing through the "full" signals too. Ignoring all those signals is how I got to be 300 pounds.
I'm typically much more conscious about eating on a regular basis. That is one of the tools I've used to drop 125 pounds. Small, frequent meals or snacks keep my blood sugar up and my body operating efficiently. With my blood sugar up level I don't have to use "willpower" to eat right. Top that off, I have better energy--and I'm more pleasant to be around, too.
Moral of the story: if weight loss success is your idea of a happy ending--don't forget to eat!
That's what I wrote the Sunday evening. What hit me wasn't a truck (thank goodness) but I had a crash of another sort. I hadn't really eaten since 8am...not true, I had a Sunday treat at noon...a cup of coffee and a slice of nut and fruit bread. Very little food, and even less protein all day.
Scientifically, my blood sugar tanked...(don't you love it when I use technical jargon?)
Personally, I felt like crap.
This put me into a danger zone--I was fully capable of eating the entire house...not just the contents of the cupboard.
I know better, and it would have been easy to beat myself up for getting myself into that situation...fortunately I chose not to go that route...but I'm telling you, it is a lot easier to make healthy food choices BEFORE the crash. After a crash, you body is screaming for sugar...simple, refined sugars that get you pumping quickly. Trouble is, it sets you up for another crash if you don't combine those carbs with protein.
I used to have these crashes pretty frequently. I was good at pushing through and ignoring my body's signals...hunger, pain, fatigue. And I was also good at pushing through the "full" signals too. Ignoring all those signals is how I got to be 300 pounds.
I'm typically much more conscious about eating on a regular basis. That is one of the tools I've used to drop 125 pounds. Small, frequent meals or snacks keep my blood sugar up and my body operating efficiently. With my blood sugar up level I don't have to use "willpower" to eat right. Top that off, I have better energy--and I'm more pleasant to be around, too.
Moral of the story: if weight loss success is your idea of a happy ending--don't forget to eat!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Unmasking Sugar For Weight Loss Success
Sugar of course is the simplist carbohydrate and it has lots of nasty effects on the body. Besides being pretty much empty calories which doesn't help our desire to be svelte, sugar raises our blood sugar levels which can lead to diabetes.
Not only that but there are many other health issues associated with eating too much sugar. But food manufacturers are smart--they know a lot of people will look for "sugar" on the label. There are lots of different types of sugars that can be put into our foods. Some don't even sound like sugar--so even if you read labels you might not realize how much you are consuming.
The best way to defend yourself against these sugars is to read the labels--and know what to look for! Awareness is the first step to successfully beating the sugar blues, the sugar highs, and the not-so-sweet expanding waistline!
So here is a list of some of the common, and not so common "sugars" that can be found in foods.
The usual suspects:
sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses and maple syrup.
Other sugars:
evaporated cane juice, malted corn syrup, malted barley syrup, any thing "syrup"
The less well known:
dextrose, fructose, lactose and maltose
Are they sugars or not?:
xylitol, sorbitol, annitol, malitol
This last category is not required by the FDA to be labeled as a sugar--and in fact can be in things that are labeled as being sugar free. One of the most common places they are found is in chewing gum. But they are made of sugar molecules with an attached alcohol molecule. They still are carbohydrates, but with this extra molecule they aren't absorbed by the body as easily. Because they aren't absorbed easily they may cause some, um, let's just say discomfort.
Yes they are fattening
Corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup is frequently used in place of table sugar--it can be found in most store bought candies, soft drinks and baked goods. Not only is corn syrup sweet and loaded with calories, the body processes it differently from table sugar and it actually is more likely to converted into body fat!
Affects cholesterol
To top it off, corn syrup has been shown to raise LDL cholesterol (that is the number you want to be low.)
Actually create cravings!
Many of these sugars have an addictive type quality...they actually affect our taste buds and make our tongues (and brains) want more sweet stuff. This is why our challenge is not about will power! There really are foods that create the desire and cravings in us.
Make us MORE hungry!
I remember Dr. Oz discussing ghrelin on the Oprah show...this is a hormone that stimulates hunger. The opposite hormone, the one that suppresses hunger is called leptin. Well, fructose causes a drop in leptin AND an increase in ghrelin. No wonder we feel more hungry when we eat sweets!
Tastes great, less filling
Sugars don't fill us up, so even if they didn't have the other downsides, you will naturally eat more food if you eat a lot of sugary foods.
Best health and weight loss success tip
Eat as many whole foods as you can...things that actually grow, rather than have to be packaged. As you increase your intake of complex carbohydrates and reduce the simple carbs you will be amazed at how your tastes will begin to change.
It doesn't mean you will have to give up all sugar forever. The best news is that once you get off the sugar-go-round you will be able to have some treats without setting off the cravings. So you will be able to have your cake and eat it too!
Not only that but there are many other health issues associated with eating too much sugar. But food manufacturers are smart--they know a lot of people will look for "sugar" on the label. There are lots of different types of sugars that can be put into our foods. Some don't even sound like sugar--so even if you read labels you might not realize how much you are consuming.
The best way to defend yourself against these sugars is to read the labels--and know what to look for! Awareness is the first step to successfully beating the sugar blues, the sugar highs, and the not-so-sweet expanding waistline!
So here is a list of some of the common, and not so common "sugars" that can be found in foods.
The usual suspects:
sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses and maple syrup.
Other sugars:
evaporated cane juice, malted corn syrup, malted barley syrup, any thing "syrup"
The less well known:
dextrose, fructose, lactose and maltose
Are they sugars or not?:
xylitol, sorbitol, annitol, malitol
This last category is not required by the FDA to be labeled as a sugar--and in fact can be in things that are labeled as being sugar free. One of the most common places they are found is in chewing gum. But they are made of sugar molecules with an attached alcohol molecule. They still are carbohydrates, but with this extra molecule they aren't absorbed by the body as easily. Because they aren't absorbed easily they may cause some, um, let's just say discomfort.
Yes they are fattening
Corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup is frequently used in place of table sugar--it can be found in most store bought candies, soft drinks and baked goods. Not only is corn syrup sweet and loaded with calories, the body processes it differently from table sugar and it actually is more likely to converted into body fat!
Affects cholesterol
To top it off, corn syrup has been shown to raise LDL cholesterol (that is the number you want to be low.)
Actually create cravings!
Many of these sugars have an addictive type quality...they actually affect our taste buds and make our tongues (and brains) want more sweet stuff. This is why our challenge is not about will power! There really are foods that create the desire and cravings in us.
Make us MORE hungry!
I remember Dr. Oz discussing ghrelin on the Oprah show...this is a hormone that stimulates hunger. The opposite hormone, the one that suppresses hunger is called leptin. Well, fructose causes a drop in leptin AND an increase in ghrelin. No wonder we feel more hungry when we eat sweets!
Tastes great, less filling
Sugars don't fill us up, so even if they didn't have the other downsides, you will naturally eat more food if you eat a lot of sugary foods.
Best health and weight loss success tip
Eat as many whole foods as you can...things that actually grow, rather than have to be packaged. As you increase your intake of complex carbohydrates and reduce the simple carbs you will be amazed at how your tastes will begin to change.
It doesn't mean you will have to give up all sugar forever. The best news is that once you get off the sugar-go-round you will be able to have some treats without setting off the cravings. So you will be able to have your cake and eat it too!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Are You Exercising Your Won't Power?
Frequently we hear that successful weight loss (or anything else for that matter) is about using "Will Power"...I'm not sure will power is the phrase I would use...but what I do know is that often when we struggle it is because we are using "Won't Power"!!!
It can be easy to slip into the negative...but if you find the only thing you are consistently exercising is your Won't Power then you will have guaranteed results--and they Won't be the ones you SAY you want.
What do I mean by Won't Power? That is when you say to yourself things like
Remember, only you can change your thinking...and you can only hold one thought at a time. Do you want the thought to be negative? Or would you rather be holding onto the positive thought? The choice is entirely yours!
You have got to believe that it IS possible...that you CAN do it...that you DO deserve a healthy life. That is the true Will Power! With this attitude...practiced daily...often...you WILL succeed!
"Change your thinking and you will change your life"...Don't go back and forth...make a decision to move forward in health and do it! That doesn't mean you have to be perfect...it just means you make the steps as best you can every day and keep moving forward!
Stop exercising your Won't Power...instead put positive thoughts and actions to work for you! I know you can do it. I have faith in you. Repeat after me: I Can! I Will! I am Doing It!
It can be easy to slip into the negative...but if you find the only thing you are consistently exercising is your Won't Power then you will have guaranteed results--and they Won't be the ones you SAY you want.
What do I mean by Won't Power? That is when you say to yourself things like
I can't lose weight
It is easy for them, but not for me
I am a fat slob
That doesn't work
I tried it before without success
Remember, only you can change your thinking...and you can only hold one thought at a time. Do you want the thought to be negative? Or would you rather be holding onto the positive thought? The choice is entirely yours!
You have got to believe that it IS possible...that you CAN do it...that you DO deserve a healthy life. That is the true Will Power! With this attitude...practiced daily...often...you WILL succeed!
"Change your thinking and you will change your life"...Don't go back and forth...make a decision to move forward in health and do it! That doesn't mean you have to be perfect...it just means you make the steps as best you can every day and keep moving forward!
Stop exercising your Won't Power...instead put positive thoughts and actions to work for you! I know you can do it. I have faith in you. Repeat after me: I Can! I Will! I am Doing It!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Willpower is not the Answer
If willpower were the answer, I would never have gotten to be over 100 pounds overweight. Or at least if I had, it wouldn't have hung around for so long.
I had lots of willpower...I stuck to lots of diets, did lots of exercising.
Willpower alone is not enough.
If and when you are ready to change, there is help! You do have to make the decision that you want to change and get the help.
I'm here to tell you that losing weight and keeping it off is possible! And it won't take willpower when you have the right support--emotionally and chemically!
I had lots of willpower...I stuck to lots of diets, did lots of exercising.
Willpower alone is not enough.
"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not." James Gordon, M.D.
If and when you are ready to change, there is help! You do have to make the decision that you want to change and get the help.
I'm here to tell you that losing weight and keeping it off is possible! And it won't take willpower when you have the right support--emotionally and chemically!
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