Not PP, but PPP! 5 fat habits and 4 thin habits to break them

We add a single P to our efforts to eat well (i.e. to the PP) – and we enter the blueprint of subconscious eating habits!

striped Where striped It is the name of the part of the brain that controls habits. These “scratches” strongly resemble a prison – a prison of overweight and the excessive habits that lead to it.

The striatum is part of the emotional system of the brain. We cannot consciously influence this system, no matter how good our goals are. And relying on willpower is also not necessary for a long time. The voluntary resource is finished, a it takes enough time and repetition to “rewrite” the neural connection.

In habit reform, the old neural connection remains dominant for a time while the new gains strength. It can be compared to two flowers on the windowsill: you stop watering the cactus, and plant the geranium in a new pot and start caring for it. The cactus is hardy, it will last a long time without watering. Besides, no, no, and you will also water it… out of habit. Therefore, breakdowns and returns to the beaten neural pathway are completely normal. But then the geranium blooms and darkens the cactus!

The main thing is not to get upset because of temporary setbacks and continue to “water your geraniums”. Mindfulness and a collection of psychological life hacks will help you a lot with this.

The brain is designed in such a way that it is much easier to replace one habit with another than to simply nip the existing “extra” habit in the bud. To start, I suggest you discover “additional” habits and think about what other habits you want to replace them.

It is important that alternative habits give you pleasure. Replace the habit of reading with meals by the habit of doing exercises in the morning, if you hate it, it is a good thing, but it is initially a failure. The alternative habit should be enjoyable and inspiring. New habits don’t have to be about food. Maybe it will be a visit to the beautician instead of Saturday pizza in front of the TV?

How many great attempts have ended up being attempts because of the false all-or-nothing enthusiasm. You don’t have to change your whole lifestyle in one day! Make a habit and add a new one as soon as the first one has entered “autopilot” mode. For example, after 3 weeks. During this time, the old neural connection has already weakened, the new one has begun to consolidate, and it becomes easier to follow the new habit.

Just don’t be fooled by the 21-day rule: it takes a lot longer to change your eating habits – according to statistics, from 3 months, because food autopilot has a long history, starting with the mother’s breast, which is given to us at the first cry. But you don’t have to endure all that time. On the contrary, we will do it with pleasure!

Pleasure is an important factor in quickly creating a new dominant. For example, you do morning exercises under duress. Break the pattern – smile. Let it be stretched, even if it’s not for joy – but endorphin production kicks in anyway. The brain is rewarded and reinforces the new “charging is fun” connection.

To form habits, that is, to switch from neural connections from “extra” programs and kilograms to new “thin” programs, the following actions will help.

Habits are a domain of the unconscious. And the more awareness there is, the easier it is. Therefore, we turn our heads. Answer the questions:

The more complete the answer, the better – this is exactly the case when completeness is beneficial. Think about the long-term impact on health, fitness, mood, relationships, self-esteem, career, and income. Make your friends think! Better to think on paper – when writing, the left hemisphere is even more actively involved in work, and with it – food consciousness.

Remember that a cactus can survive for a long time without water. The old habit will remind you of itself – this is normal. It’s not normal to scold and blame yourself for every breakdown. Hence, finally, another psychological life hack.

It is very important to “authorize the action”, to recognize it. That is, mentally or out loud, say, “(Even though it didn’t work out today,) I’m playing, and I’m fine.” You then have the positive feeling that you are in control of the process, and nothing is more reassuring than having a plan.

We often try to control our body, but we don’t own it 100%. The body may not lose weight even on PP. But we can control our actions. Feeling in control reduces anxiety, improves your mood, and makes it easier to adopt “skinny” habits and a slim waistline.

Text: Galina Turetskaya, author of The Big Break Theory. How to lose weight without a diet, exercise equipment and dozhor.

Photo: Getty Images