So you decided to try fasting, maybe you’re coming from a regular diet or have tried some form of it in the past but it didn’t work out. Not eating sounds simple on paper, but why is it that failure happens? If the solution to obesity is really so simple, why is it still a rampaging epidemic across the United States and the United Kingdom?
The answer is that there is sabotage all around in the most inconspicuous forms. Think about it, the companies that sell food and drugs make money when people stay obese. They make More money when they become more obese too. So what are these pitfalls and how should they be avoided?
- Advertising: Easiest one by far. It’s the big HD photos you see on billboards, commercials, and even the description of it read by suave and seductive announcers on radio programs. Everywhere that isn’t rural life is teeming with advertisements vying to sap your willpower and get you to drive in for a triple fat-boy supreme with extra bacon. Online, on the road, in metro tunnels, all of them are trying to arouse your hunger and cave to your cravings.
- Aromas: Next up on insidious psychology is the aroma manipulation tactic. You smell this every time you walk into a big grocery store like Publix, Walmart, or the like. They bake bread and other foods fresh and then let the aroma of their work waft into the store. Some meat counters also will have bacon frying in the back counter to pull people in to their part of the store. These stores know people buy more when they have hunger on their mind, so every opportunity to make you hungry while shopping is done.
- Habit: Habits begin in cobwebs and end in chains. Everyone has some sort of routine that they do to keep their life going. Some people are less habitual than others, but usually things like coming home from work, or passing a special restaurant on a trip to visit a distant friend or relative. The routine forms a cue, drive to grandma, visit grandma, “hey there’s that burger joint we normally don’t go to”, pull in to reward yourself for keeping in touch with grandma, repeat next visit. Habit creates a momentum that can be hard to resist but the good news is it works the other way too with good habits.
- Taste: Food today is not the same as food our ancestors ate. Many sweeteners, oils, and additives exist in modern food to go above and beyond to stimulate your tongue as much as possible when you take a bite. This seems innocent at first, what company wouldn’t want to deliver as much flavor as possible? The poison is in how strong the dopamine hit is and how nutritionally poor these foods are so that your body remains hungry and itching for more. So when these foods are taken away, it is by design of the food for your brain to crave and dream about getting more. Combine this with healthy foods usually require an investment of cooking knowledge to make them compete, and taste is a very dangerous double-edged sword.
- Your own Triggers: Triggers are cues that stir some sort of response from a person when seen. Everyone has them but not everyone is aware of what visual cue activates their subconscious programming. For dieting, problematic triggers are things like feeling taste on your tongue and then knowing there’s more food waiting in the fridge, or other people living with you enjoying their food. Uncovering one’s own food triggers takes effort, but without the awareness diet or fasting of any kind will be an uphill battle and prone to failure.\
The world conspires against me! What do I do?!
It really does, however this is not excuse to add paranoia to your health ailments. The first step of any problem is understanding awareness is key, and that it may not come all at once. The task of learning about all of these hazards may seem daunting, but when all the health consequences stemming from unhealthy eating are considered it is a very worthwhile investment. After all, you plan to eat for the rest of your life right?
How To Fast Successfully
If you’re coming from an unhealthy diet or just have been eating several meals for a long time adjusting to intermittent fasting may have some snares. The points covered in this post should help you mentally prepare against the unseen influences and awareness alone may be enough to overcome it. If it is not however, you can try things like looking for alternative routes if you stop at a restaurant on a routine commute, holding your nose while you pass the bakery, and looking around your own home for things that will pull you back into your old way of eating. Each person is different for discovering how to live better, and through experimentation and internalizing information about diet, fasting, and exercise one’s eyes are opened to all the poisons that rob them of their health.
Remember, the mainstream world wants you to fail. I don’t.
Let’s keep in touch so I can help you achieve the health you deserve.
Honor your gift,
-Ed