Are You Self-Sabotaging Your Diet?
One of the greatest struggles many have when starting a nutrition plan or getting back on track after a holiday or slip up is, predictably falling back into old habits.
However, many coaches, fitness professionals, athletes of influence etc. will simply simplify this down to a “lack of willpower”.
But here’s the thing…
Willpower is - contrary to popular belief - a limited resource.
Think of it like a daily “budget”.
In our brains, the governor of willpower is the frontal cortex, responsible for working memory, gratification postponement, long-term planning, emotional regulation, and reigning in impulsivity. The frontal cortex is also responsible for executive function - organising knowledge strategically, and then initiating an action based on executive decision.
In short, the frontal cortex makes you do the harder thing when it’s the right thing to do.
The reason many will find it easy to simplify it down to willpower is because - ironically - they don’t have to spend much of it on executive decision making when it comes to nutrition choices because for them; it’s automatic Automatic or reflexive behaviours are a whole different topic, but many are learned behaviours more commonly referred to as habits.
In short, if you are used to making informed decisions surrounding nutrition or if that is your baseline, clearly, willpower isn’t likely going to be the problem
And vice versa.
Until making sound nutritional decisions is a habit, the smartest thing you can do is to remove anything that’s going to potentially derail that process; such as the classic “don’t have junk food in the house” - which surprisingly few people follow through with and wonder why they keep fucking up…
Other examples include:
Meal Prepping (duh)
Regular Eating Times - if you’re not hungry, you’re less likely to grab one of Karen’s brownies in the office
Fruit - if you always have a piece of fruit or some berries handy, see above. And yes, I’m aware they’re not as tasty but I’m relying on you being an adult here.
Smaller Eating Implements - such as plates or cutlery make your meals appear bigger and take longer to eat
Emergency Meals - we’re in the 21st century; every. Single. Supermarket. Has healthy options available. Iceland and Food Warehouse in the UK stock the entire range of Weight Watchers meals that are tasty (enough) and are protein focused. Having a few spare in the freezer (I usually have 7 at all times) in case you get caught out with limited time to prep, is a huge safety net.
Intention - don’t stress eat, before you eat every meal, remind yourself of 𝙬𝙝𝙮 you are eating that particular meal; “it’s high in protein for recovery… low in fat as it’s a redundant macronutrient [see Nutrition Course in the “Classroom”]… has a good portion of fruits and vegetables for micronutrients, fibre and satiety…”
If you can’t magic more of your limited willpower resource, removing your possibility of it being an issue is your best bet.