Temptations and the unreliability of willpower

Recent research has found that avoiding temptation works better than relying only on willpower when faced with temptation. (You can see the original article here: Restricting Temptations: Neural Mechanisms of Precommitment)

The idea of avoiding "tempting" foods in order to eat less of them seems rather obvious. However, does it work well for everyone? This particular study didn't look at food temptations, so can we expect the same results? I think this is a more complicated answer than initially thought and it will depend on how you avoid temptations.

Let's imagine that the food temptations we are talking about are foods rich in calories, sugar or fat. If there are none of these foods lying around the house or the office and we have to trek to the store to buy them, then it is obvious that we will eat less of them since the temptation is not close by. If we take that thought one step further and say that if we buy these tempting foods in small quantities instead of larger ones, then it will be easier to resist temptations since we won't have any leftovers.

BUT, if we never allow ourselves fun food (at least) once in awhile, then this plan may backfire. If these tempting foods are banned completely from our lives for any reason (to be uber healthy, to lose weight, to get "back on track", etc) we will end up wanting them more- even when none of these foods are in sight. It's the concept of "we want what we can't have". This concept drives most people crazy and increases their cravings for these "banned" food.

The idea of eating only very "healthy" foods is quite popular right now. But is it "normal" to never eat a food rich in fat or sugar or calories? NO. This slippery slope of thinking often leads to a pattern of under eating, feeling deprived then overeating (and possibly even binge eating).

This particular study looked at what happens when people commit to a bigger reward if they resist smaller temptations. This reminds me of what so many people call a "cheat day". Eating only really healthy foods for most days of the week then allowing themselves to "cheat" (I prefer the word treat) for one day or a meal. The popularity of this concept does not make it a healthy way of thinking. Allowing yourself a treat a few times a week and planning ahead is a great idea, and this study suggests it will help you resist the urge to cave to smaller, less rewarding temptations.

HOWEVER, under eating all week long just to give yourself permission to eat "bad" foods is a slippery slope. It is hard to eat these so called "bad" foods in normal portions once you are done denying yourself. You train your body to eat as much as you can on the odd occasion you allow yourself the food. Calling it a cheat or a bad food actually pushes people to eat it in large quantities.

For people who find they "just have no willpower" and feel they cave to all cravings, this study suggests you plan out how you will enjoy more important (or bigger) temptations ahead of time. This kills two birds with one stone- it forces you to plan out your week to see what special event is happening (ex. 5 a 7 at work, birthday party or BBQ) in order to enjoy and fit the "fun" foods (higher calorie temptations we mentioned earlier) into your plan as well as understand that including them on a regular basis is a healthy, normal part of life.

3 ways to actually eat less

Everyone knows that the key to weight management is to eat less. This could mean eating smaller portions of what you already prepare (e.x. 6oz of steak versus 12oz) OR switching out higher calorie foods for lower ones (yogurt instead of cookies for example). Sounds simple but as we all know, words are easier than action. So, how do we move from wanting to eat less to actually eating less? Exploring the 3 steps that lead to eating too much can help to make it easier to put words into action. Making it easier to choose healthier portions is key! Relying on "self control" is not a useful strategy.

1. Buy less. Buying in bulk can lead to eating in bulk. The more food we have in the pantry, the larger portions tend to be. Whats 1 cup of nuts when there is a 5lbs bag? If that bag of nuts was only 2 cups, 1 cup is a big dent. Chances are 1 cup will turn to 1/2 a cup if the bag is smaller. Another example is if I buy only 12oz of meat for my family of 3, then I must prepare more vegetables to make up for less meat.
True, buying in bulk can save money but if it is difficult to make more food last longer, chances are you are not saving money. Learning to eat less by buying smaller portions at first can help you deal with larger amounts in the future.

2. Prepare less. Its much easier to avoid eating seconds when there are none. Seeing less food on the stove helps us listen to our true hunger (hunger with our stomach rather than our eyes).
Sure, making large batches of food can help with lunch for the next day but nibbling on the leftovers while putting them away is not so helpful. Try putting leftovers straightaway into Tupperware containers as your are portioning food onto plates.

3. Serve less. If we don't want to eat 3 cups of pasta, why would we portion out 3 cups? By portioning out less onto the plate, we rely less on our eyes to tell us when we are full and more on our satiety signals. Why not start with 1 cup and go back for seconds if we are still hungry? All too often we will finish the food on our plate from habit. Kick the habit by making it harder to over eat.

Stop relying on self control to eat less. It will save you money and calories!