Unless you’re an extreme outlier without a trace of an addictive personality, do not play the “just one bite” game. It doesn’t work.
You know how this works. Your fantasy football draft is this weekend. You want to have a good time, but you don’t want to ruin all your hard work. You’re prepared to make a strong decision, and I’m not talking about player selection. You’re planning on staying your nutrition course.
Draft day rolls around, and everyone is cracking open a cold one. Having a beer is no biggie. You’re being social, sipping slowly while debating why Andrew Luck will never be as good as Manning (zzzzz). Just as you finish the last gulp, you see the giant bowl of chips next to the crock pot filled with baked pimiento cheese dip.
Slow cookers are just cruel. They fill the house with their tempting aromas. Those salt crystals glisten on the chips, beckoning you over. “Just one plate,” you think. “A small one.” You stick to your guns. Four chips and a small tablespoon of cheesy goodness. Oh, and one more beer, because it will pair gloriously.
Round 12 comes around. Your beer is done; your chips were finished by the time Matt Ryan went off the board. Out comes the host with a hot apple pie and homemade vanilla bean ice cream in pre-chilled tasting decisions. Game over. “I’ll get back on track tomorrow.”
How many times has this happened to you while on a mission to reach your fitness goals? I’ve mused before that sugar is an addictive drug. With each hit, we become more ravenous until we’ve binged. Can you fathom a nicotine addict taking a single rip of a cigarette or a cocaine addict stopping at a quarter line of blow? It doesn’t happen, yet we casually assume it will with liquor, sugar and processed foods. From authoritynutrition.com:
The brain knows that when we eat, we’re doing something “right,” and releases a bunch of feel-good chemicals in the reward system, such as the neurotransmitter dopamine – interpreted by our brains as pleasure.
High Times magazine fills their pages with glossy high-res photos of pot plants and giant blunts. Now go scroll through Instagram or Pinterest and check out all the photos of scrumptious grub. The visual stimulation is persuasive, and your brain releases happy chemicals to encourage you to continue to indulge.
The brain is hardwired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in the reward system. The problem with modern junk foods is that they can cause a reward that is way more powerful than anything we were ever exposed to in nature.
Whereas eating an apple or a piece of steak might cause a moderate release of dopamine, eating a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is so incredibly rewarding that it releases a massive amount.
That wiring in your brain forms a fairly simple machine. If some is good, more is better, and if it feels good, do it. Our systems didn’t evolve to handle the amounts of processed junk we feed it. The overload makes us crave bigger and better highs, crowding out natural foods and leading us to make poor decisions. You may want to eat healthier, but, in the moment, you choose short-term gratification over long-term well-being.
A single bite of Cherry Garcia? Good luck with that. You’re no match for natural selection. This principle holds true for even “healthy” processed foods. If I’m pressed for time and grab a bar because it’s easy, I find myself wanting one the next day and the day after. One isn’t satisfying any more, I want two or three. It’s a hideous cycle.
Here’s a better approach for success at your fantasy football draft:
- Chow down on a few eggs, an apple and carrot prior to your arrival.
- Drink two glasses of water immediately before your entrance.
- Make a pact with yourself to keep your distance from the crap.
- Throw a handful of almonds in your pocket. Eat them immediately upon any cravings and then pause. I promise the craving will subside.
- After the draft, grab your calendar and write the words “Chunky Monkey” for a day in October. When that date arrives, have a little party in your honor. You earned it.
You’ll feel powerful and confident after controlling the whole process. Planning leads to fitness success. You’ve got this.
Kap
Hit that one out of the park Gabe. I’ve lost that bet with Lay’s about a thousand times. It’s right up there with ‘tomorrow I’ll start this great diet, so tonight…’
Do your thing, Bill. Always appreciate your comments.
I would have to respectfully disagree with this approach or this idealogy. If it works for you, great but to me moderation is crucial with many things especially eating and nutrition. Having one day per week or a handful of foods that we crave each week is vital to successful long term nutritious eating. If I want to have buffalo wings and a few beers one night , one week, and grab a pizza or hit up a fried seafood shack with the family the next I do it no problem and no guilt..If your active and as long as you don`t have underlying obsession isues which most people don`t go ahead and enjoy the foods you love and that are delicious, your body and mental weel being will thank you for it as opposed to super strict avoidance of the foods you love…I still maintain about 12% bodyfat most of the year and am much happier doing things in moderation.
I disagree. While this may work for you, the snowball affect is true. Saving the buffalo wings or chips and queso for a true singular indulgence rather than a small weekly treat had been much more effective for me.
The fact you two disagree just highlights that when it comes to nutrition, and training too, that not one size fits all and that everyone needs to find out what works for them. Kap is merely trying to show one approach, one that works for him. He’s not saying it’s the only way.
I think all three of you make great points. My aim with this post was to provide a single idea for a common situation, specifically if your goal is to stay on point. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know I stress both flexibility and indulgences.
https://kaplifestyle.com/2014/04/indulgences
Have a great weekend, folks.
Kap
That’s great advice. I suffer from similar cravings that I would love some feedback on. In fact, the advice might even be identical. After a long day at work, where I keep my cravings well in check, upon arriving at home I suffer from a ravenous hunger. I am ashamed to say that I will go to the cupboard and grab sugary snacks, then chips, all while I’m preparing my dinner. Totally ruins my healthy eating for the day. Any suggestions?
Been there done that, Aaron. If you dig veggies, try snacking on as large a quantity as you want while your working on the meal. I opt for purple cabbage (slightly sweet, very satisfying). I slice a huge hunk and it satisfies my urge to chew. I’ll post on this soon.
Kap
Happy Friday!!!
Excellent post Kap! It is rough some times to avoid all of less nutritional food. I admit I’ve jumped in more than I should. I really like the almond idea. I try to drink a full glass of water before each beer it really forces me to slow down. Strange but it works. Thanks for advice as always. Have great day!!!
Thanks as always, Duane.
I’m in Vegas the next 4 days. Talk about temptation!
The only way I can avoid sugar temptation in Vegas is to continuously consume vodka, camp out at the craps tables, and order up hourly entertainment each evening. Beating temptation is not easy, but just imagine the swell of pride you’ll feel having spurned your demons!
When in Vegas, play poker, smoke cigars, drink, play, be you. A trip to LV is no time to restrict, IMO.
I love the idea of being in control of my cravings! Thanks for the tips. I can’t wait to leave the next cocktail party feeling empowered rather than defeated!
Thanks for stopping by, Karen.
As an alternative, I’d suggest planning ahead that you’re going to treat yourself on this date, and just get back on track the next day. It takes some determination to get back onto a strict nutritional track, but if you can do it, it’s so worth it, and your cheat days will be all the more enjoyable if they’re sporadic.
Dig that, Marc.
Bring some sunflower seeds with you perfect snack
Love seeds, Darby.
https://kaplifestyle.com/?s=sunflower+seeds