Are you trying to eat healthily but keep running into obstacles? Do you want advice on how to stop sabotaging your diet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his book Never Binge Again<\/em>, Dr. Glenn Livingston discusses the most common reasons why food plans fail and how to overcome them. There are so many ways we sabotage our diets: from cravings to social pressure to trauma. But Dr. Livingston goes over all of them and how to fight back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading to learn how to stop sabotaging your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of Shortform\u2019s guide to dieting<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Never Binge Again<\/em> addresses a number of common setbacks that weaken your resolve and make you listen to the Pig. Here is how to stop sabotaging your diet: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you set your Food Plan, your response to cravings is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eat according to your Food Plan, and your cravings will subside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your only job is to kill the craving. It is NOT to get high on what you crave.<\/strong> You only want to eliminate the craving to get on with your day\u2014your Pig wants to get high with food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Killing a craving is like pouring water on a fire in your backyard so you don\u2019t burn down the house. Getting high with food is like throwing gasoline on the fire and inhaling the fumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also consider contentment vs mania. Contentment is a gentle state of mind that is repeatable, sustainable, and responsible. Mania is unstable\u2014it\u2019s a temporary pleasure that becomes more difficult to repeat, like drug addicts \u201cchasing the dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember the exercise about what you deprive yourself of by not indulging your craving, and what you deprive yourself of by indulging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some may think that any plan that is going to work should be easy and comfortable at all times. Thus, any food plan that causes discomfort is probably wrong, and Binging is the way to alleviate discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is insane. Does any good thing come with <\/strong>zero<\/em><\/strong> discomfort? <\/strong>Does your favorite athlete get to where he or she is with complete comfort? Is building a billion dollar company easy the entire way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You do NOT need to be comfortable to stick to your food plan.<\/strong> There will be times where you feel uncomfortable. Your Pig must know it will NEVER consider this time to be Binging opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just because you\u2019re uncomfortable does NOT mean you will die.<\/strong> Your body is used to binging, and if you suddenly take away its Food High food, it\u2019ll think you\u2019re starving. You are not starving. Even if you ate zero calories, it would take weeks for you to starve to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have greater ability to tolerate discomfort than you think. You need to want it enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, humans seek sustenance when 1) nutrients are depleted, 2) they\u2019re cold, 3) when blood sugar drops low. To counter this, stay warm and hydrated, and eat regular, consistent healthy meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The social environment around you has most likely developed to encourage you to Binge. Friends and family will continue indulging in your new Never foods; you\u2019ll be invited to break your Conditionals; your Always foods might be joked at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, don\u2019t deal with other people\u2019s problems<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognize that you don\u2019t need validation of your plan. Don\u2019t go seeking approval for what you\u2019re doing. You own 100% responsibility for your health and goals\u2014other people aren\u2019t going to be feeling your weight or diabetes\u2014so why should they have a say in what you eat?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will never get 100% acceptance from all the important people in your life for everything in your food plan. Someone will always have some nitpick. So waiting for unconditional acceptance is foolish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If someone invites you to Binge (violating your food plan), then simply think to yourself, \u201cI don\u2019t eat Pig Slop.\u201d (Don\u2019t say this out loud as it\u2019s judging other people\u2019s behavior\u2014covered next). Politely refuse the invitation. You don\u2019t have to justify yourself<\/a>. No person in your life should ever be able to convince you to eat Pig Slop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they ask why, simply say, \u201cit\u2019s for medical reasons.\u201d If they dig further, say, \u201cIt\u2019s nothing serious, I\u2019m not dying or anything, but I kind of hate talking about it\u201d and change the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, deal with other people\u2019s pigs<\/strong>. Each person\u2019s plan is their own private affair\u2014you have no right to comment on their eating behaviors. Don\u2019t call their food Pig Slop since this will threaten your relationships. Don\u2019t tell them they have a Pig part of their thinking, because without the right context, they\u2019ll take it as an attack on their personhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t force-feed the Never Binge Again philosophy to them, even if you think it\u2019ll help. People must be willing to change and open-minded before they\u2019ll be receptive. Wait until the person is actively concerned about their weight or eating (often this will be at the end of their own personal mistake). They must be willing to seek help before they accept help. When you succeed, you will be all the convincing they need to seek your help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should have 100% confidence about your ability to follow your Food Plan for life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any doubt comes from two sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first, write down every Pig Squeal that comes to mind in a journal. This means anything other than 100% commitment to your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some say willpower is depletable, so it\u2019s hopeless to rely on willpower to never binge again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The author concedes that willpower really does exist, but willpower is only necessary when there\u2019s actually a choice to be made. When there are clear, hard constraints, deciding takes no effort at all. When something is a core part of your character or identity, no willpower is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does it take you any willpower to walk by a bank without itching to rob it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating a 100% clear Food Plan makes it easy to deal with willpower. You don\u2019t need much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people may Binge absent-mindedly, before coming back to reality in a cloud of Cheetos dust. This apparent loss of memory is really just \u201cpsychological anesthesia\u201d\u2014you protect yourself from the guilt that you would feel with every bite if you had remained aware. You don\u2019t actually have amnesia\u2014if you tried to piece together everything you ate, you\u2019d be able to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key is to consciously remain completely aware of what you\u2019re eating at every time.<\/strong> The Pig should know you\u2019re always watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because you\u2019re proud of progress, it\u2019s tempting to shout your accomplishments from the rooftops. It\u2019s been 50 days since you last Binged!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid doing this. It doesn\u2019t make sense when you\u2019re trying to adopt a permanent change for the rest of your life. Counting days implies that the streak should end at some point<\/strong>, and it sets you up for humiliation when you stop proclaiming your streak publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you proclaim the number of days since you last got a speeding ticket or robbed a bank? <\/strong>You don\u2019t boast about things you\u2019re supposed <\/em>to be doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling like you need to boast signals insecurity about your commitment. It reorients your social identity around food problems, rather than your goals and abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there is a connection between one\u2019s psychology and one\u2019s eating habits. It\u2019s possible that trauma from the past causes eating problems today. And figuring this out, diving deep into your thinking, might help you understand yourself better<\/a> to better change your outlook on life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\u2014soul searching has nothing to do with your ability to quit Binging. You DO NOT need to know <\/strong>why<\/em><\/strong> you binge. You just need to stop.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To believe otherwise is to leave an opening for the Pig\u2014\u201cyou need to unearth ALL the tragic events of your life to figure out what\u2019s wrong with you. Until then, keep on binging!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly: when you get stressed, you might be tempted to binge. Do not let one issue in life cause a cascade of issues elsewhere! Giving yourself a stress-based Conditional (\u201cI can binge when I get upset\u201d) is too vague and will just invite making excuses<\/a> to binge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally\u2014it\u2019s not a foregone conclusion that trauma will set them on a path of permanent self-destruction. You may have a more difficult situation than others, fine. But everyone is able to write their fate, and adversity will develop your strength of character.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTroubleshooting<\/strong> Your Diet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dealing with Cravings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Dealing with Discomfort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Dealing with Social Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dealing with Doubt About Your Plan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Dealing with Willpower<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unconscious Binging<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Avoiding Time Counting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Psychology and Eating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What If It\u2019s Not Working?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n