I like dieting as the example for this blog. Dieting is a painful process and association for our brains. Just look at the first three letters of the word DIEt. Talk about avoidance of pain. But your body wants and needs food, so it must have it. Willpower will only go so far. What has to happen is a change in associations.
First recognize that eating does bring a sensation of pleasure and comfort as the dominant response. I get this change in state everytime I eat ice cream or dark chocolate.
To replace willfulness with a more successful strategy to enjoy healthfulness we must retrain the brain.
One must associate the pain of the negative feelings with overeating or dirty eating or of being overweight or being unhealthy as extremely painful. Do this for a period of time every day and certainly everytime you engage in the disempowering eating behavior. Imagine yourself bloating to 300 pounds and being unable to stand up. Imagine horrible diseases. Create whatever horrid future and visual you need to associate your pattern of eating to massive pain. In parallel make the association of eating as providing nutrition and healing for your body, and as exercise being good. Look at pictures of the body that you want to have. Imagine yourself in the favorite outfit or suit you still have.
Retraining you’re brain in this way will take much of the will power out of the equation.
And here is a great nutritional guide for healthier eating from my friend Charlie Valois.
