Creatures of Habit

I am currently reading a phenomenal book: The end of overeating, by David A. Kessler, MD. In it, Kessler talks about the way that many of us have been conditioned to overeat, as a result of food industry practices and marketing and our brain circuitry.

The better half of the book explains the many factors that drive eating behavior and the ways in which certain stimuli (such as food ingredients or cues in the environment) can lead people to eat too much and eat the wrong things, typically over and over again. But toward the end of the book he finally gets to the most important issue: how do we use this information to stop the pattern of overeating?

One thing Kessler discusses is the importance of rules. According to him, if you want to lose weight, you must establish specific rules about how you will behave in situations where your are tempted by food. For example, you could make a rule for yourself that you will not visit fast food restaurants or that you will not eat fried foods. Then, you must practice adhering to this rule. The more times that you drive by the fast food restaurant or turn down the fries, the easier it will get. The conditioned response that you developed to that food will weaken.

I think this approach is somewhat contrary to popular opinion that "everything in moderation" is okay or that depriving yourself of indulgent foods will only make you crave them more. Dr. Kessler and the research he cites as support for his theory suggests that the opposite is true: the less you eat something, the less you give in to your desires, the less you will want them. I have to agree with him. I am still trying to figure out what "the answer" to long-term sustainable weight loss is, but I think this comes pretty close.

My own personal experience is explained well by this notion that abiding by consciously-made rules can essentially de-condition the subconscious mind, and thereby change behavior. About 6 1/2 years ago, I decided to get serious about losing weight (I had about 10 lbs to lose). I made strict rules about what I would eat, and followed them. As time went by, I found that it was easier and easier to resist the foods I used to find irresistable. Now, I have reached the point where I need to GAIN weight and am struggling to do so because eating small, low-calorie, and low-fat meals has become such a deeply entrenched habit. It takes much more mental effort for me to choose to eat an ice cream sundae than it does for me to choose to eat a bowl of broccoli.

I think that if others can adopt this same practice of setting rules and sticking to them, no exceptions, no moderation, they would reach the point where the rules are no longer needed; declining dessert is effortless and eating vegetables is an almost unbreakable habit.