Rediscover Your Discipline: The First 3 Things You Need to Get Right in Your Diet
Rediscovering your discipline isn’t just about meticulously counting every calorie. Instead, it is about rewiring your approach to food, transforming your dietary habits into things that you will do.
Takeways
Psychological tricks can help reduce overeating without feeling deprived.
Totally banning your favorite treats can lead to binge eating and a broken spirit. Instead, plan for small, controlled indulgences.
The human mind doesn’t like wasted effort. It doesn’t like to do two things at the same time which counteract each other.
I have found over the years that clients are less likely to eat a lousy lunch if they get up exercise and eat a high performance breakfast.
Before We Get Started
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Audio
Rediscover Your Diet Discipline
Rediscovering your discipline isn’t just about setting alarms for 5 AM gym sessions or meticulously counting every calorie. We often think of discipline as something that we have or don’t have. But discipline isn’t something that you can keep in your pocket and just have.
It is more of a winding journey that you are always on. Your goal is to stay on the path.
Working to stay on the path of discipline with your diet is the ultimate focus. Meals plan, recipes, meal prep, tweaking your protein intake - it is all for naught if you don’t stick to eating your meal plan, making the recipes, taking the time to prep your meal (and then eat those meals).
You might be thinking - “Thanks Mike. I know I need more discipline. I know that I need to stick to my nutrition plan - but how?”
Well, let me guide you through the first three unexpected yet crucial steps in your diet that are often overlooked. These aren't your usual "eat this, not that" tips. Instead, they are about rewiring your approach to food, transforming your dietary habits into things that you will do again and again - this is how you lose the weight that you want AND keep it off.
Embrace the Power of Psychological Satiation
Let's start with something you might not expect – the psychological aspect of eating. It's not just about what you eat, but how you perceive what you eat. Think of your brain as an ally in your dietary journey. For instance, using smaller plates can make your servings look larger, satisfying your brain before your stomach even gets involved. This psychological trick can help reduce overeating without feeling deprived. Larger volumes of lower calorie foods (pile on the vegetables, fruit, and back of the fats a little) also send signals to your brain and stomach that you are eating a lot. The goal here is to create a sense of fullness, both mentally and physically. It's like fooling yourself into satisfaction, and it's a powerful tool in mastering self-discipline.
The Art of Strategic Indulgence
Yes, indulgence. Strategic indulgence is key to reaching you body/health goals AND not moving backwards afterwards. Totally banning your favorite treats can lead to binge eating and a broken spirit. Instead, plan for small, controlled indulgences. It's like giving yourself a mini-reward, a pat on the back for staying disciplined. This approach maintains a healthy relationship with food, preventing the 'all or nothing' mentality. After you enjoy the food/drink - get back on your plan. Indulging and enjoying foods that you love which might not be on your ‘diet’ is actually an essential part of nutritional discipline. Think of it as a pressure release valve in a high-pressure system, essential to keep everything functioning without breakdowns.
Plant Your Flag
The human mind doesn’t like wasted effort. It doesn’t like to do two things at the same time which counteract each other. When you take actions early in your day that say “I’m eating in a way that is going to allow me to hit my 10lb weight loss goal” - that makes a difference. I have found over the years that clients are less likely to eat a lousy lunch if they get up exercise and eat a high performance breakfast. Eating junk at lunch makes all of the effort in the morning feel like a waste. This is one of the many reasons why breakfast is such an important meal. Even longevity and fasting expert Dr. Valter Longo (an expert in not eating) says “you have to eat breakfast.”
Plant your flag early in the day by doing specific things that signal to your brain “We’re staying on the path today.” This could be working out, this could be prepping your meals, this could be eating a high protein breakfast.
Rediscovering your discipline in dieting is about understanding the psychology of eating, intelligently indulging your cravings, and signaling to your brain with your actions that you mean business. Goals are getting achieved - today! It's not about a rigid set of rules; it's about finding a harmonious balance that resonates with your lifestyle. Remember, it's a journey. Start these steps, and watch as your discipline transforms from a chore into a natural part of your daily life. The key is consistency, and with these novel strategies, you're not just dieting; you're sculpting the new you that you have envisioned.
Talk soon,
Dr. Mike
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