6 – You're Bogged Down With Information
Some people read diet studies, articles, blogs, books, and reviews. Then they talk about doing it, but keep putting it off. Then find "reasons" to never really change anything they're doing.
They seem to have it all figured out, but it doesn't really matter because they're not willing to put that information to the test.
Part of the problem is that, to them, the perfect diet requires a PhD, tons of time in the kitchen, or obsessive logging and measuring of every morsel of food.
Fix It
Instead of thinking you have to go whole hog on a diet, just think about improving your current one.
What can you do now with the way you're already eating? What are your current food choices and how can you tweak them?
You don't have to subscribe to a diet or hire a guru in order to make progress. It's not the perfect diet for you now if you can't even do it.
What would be perfect is making simple changes, mastering those, and making more simple changes later.
7 – You Think You're Doing it Right
On the other end of the spectrum are those who are all about application without research. They invent their own diet strategies, ones that seem beneficial, but aren't. What kind of diet strategies?
Smoothies containing multiple pulverized fruits – because fruit is healthy!
Bagels, toast, and cereal in one meal – because grains have fiber!
Sandwiches piled two-inches high with Skippy – because peanut butter has protein!
Beer every night – because beer has nutrients and stuff!
Eating very little all day then pigging out before bed – because science!
People who come up with their own strategies often read a headline and don't have the time or desire to dig any deeper, so they dive right in.
This is actually admirable, and it wouldn't be a bad thing if they were assessing the results, and adjusting as needed.
There's some degree of validity in most dietary strategies but adopting them and turning them into daily practices before you know they even work is a recipe for failure.
Fix It
Always assess. It's possible that what you're doing will work, but you'll never know unless you seriously examine the results, then tweak and improve what you're doing. Sometimes you may find that it's a crappy plan and you need to scrap it all together.
Is the way you eat day-in and day-out working for you? If it is, you'll either be lean or you'll have made progress since the last time you switched things up.
Jot down everything you eat for two weeks. Then look at it from the eyes of an outsider. Remove your personal biases. Use some common sense.
It's okay to not have the ultimate eating plan down. What's not okay is to keep sabotaging yourself.
8 – Your TV is Killing Your Diet
Food is pleasurable, TV is really good lately, and this combination is a way to de-stress. I get it and I'm right there with you.
The problem is, sitting in front of the tube means focusing on the plot, characters, or drama... not the amount or quality of what's going into our mouths.
And the stuff we can pack away during this TV-trance adds up.
Fix It
Try one or all of these tricks:
Swap the kind of food you're eating for something more filling and nutritious.
Cap your TV time at one or two shows. Then spend spare time going for a walk, getting your workout clothes or meals prepared for the next day, or fooling around with your spouse.
Measure and prep what you're going to eat ahead of time. Then savor it and end your eating there.
DVR your favorite shows and save them for the weekend just to shake up your routine. Then add them back when you can sit and watch without also munching.
Practice viewing without eating.
9 – You Lack Structure or Need More
Some people want a plan to follow at all times. They thrive off of black and white rules that are either quantitative (counting macros, points, or calories) or qualitative (paleo or clean eating).
Many of them like to know well in advance what their breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be every day of the week.
Structure is good. But too much can backfire causing you to either give up, yo-yo diet, or resent healthy eating altogether. You have to figure out how much you need and how much will drive you crazy.
Coach Thibaudeau talked about this in his blog with regards to training motivation. He says you're either a programmer or a problem solver.
The same can be said for eating: you're either a planner or problem solver.
If you need to figure out your eating as you go, then adhering to a meal plan or a set of numbers will make you hate your life. If you hate having to figure out what to eat on the fly, then having a plan or set of rules to follow will work great for you.
Fix It
Know yourself and either create a little more structure or give yourself a little more room for instinct and common sense eating.
Some of us thrive on rules, routines, meticulous food prep, and meal plans while others need more leeway based on their current circumstances, intensity of workouts, and lifestyle.
You'll be more motivated to eat healthfully if you figure out how much structure you need. And there's a broad spectrum of how much you can add.
I'm not much of a planner, but I like a little structure and batch-prepping certain foods on Sundays so that they're readily available.
My workouts affect my appetite all day long, so I never worry about bigger meals or extra starchy carbs. I count nothing, but measure out foods that are much higher in calories, like peanut butter and sour cream.
There's nothing complicated about the way I eat. Simply avoiding obvious crap makes me more in-tune with my appetite, and leaves more room in the diet for a higher volume of food, so I eat a lot, stay lean, and enjoy the hell out of it
10 – You Eat Like Other People
"Mike eats whatever he wants, drinks every night, and stays lean! If he can live like that, so can I!"
Never use other people's eating habits as an excuse to eat like poop. This is another example of rationalization.
What you don't see is his body fat set point, how hard he works out, his metabolism, lean body mass, and the time he spends not sitting at a desk or on a couch.
Fix It
Don't use other people as dietary role models. Yes, listen to them if they have insight to share, but only apply what's applicable to you. Filter the information you hear through your own common sense.
Think critically for yourself and take some damn responsibility.
When you improve your diet, don't see it as restricting yourself from having what everyone else gets to eat. That's the way children think. Instead, see it as figuring out what your body needs, and learning to love eating that way.
References:
Preidt, R. (2015, June 9). Like Mother, Like Child: Study Hints at Why Obesity May Run in Families: MedlinePlus. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
J. R. Gugusheff, Z. Y. Ong, B. S. Muhlhausler. A maternal "junk-food" diet reduces sensitivity to the opioid antagonist naloxone in offspring postweaning. The FASEB Journal, 2012; DOI: 10.1096/fj.12-217653
Amy C. Reichelt, Margaret J. Morris, R. F. Westbrook. Cafeteria diet impairs expression of sensory-specific satiety and stimulus-outcome learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 2014; 5 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00852
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