I was thinking yesterday I ought to write about boredom--and I will, for me it is the #1 diet killer. I wonder how people like Sean who start a diet and never stray can bear to stick to it? The bottom line is that the novelty of ANY plan has worn off while the novelty of food never wears off. More on this tomorrow--I wanted to put down something I learned yesterday before I forget it.
In psych I was talking with a student about soldiers and how nice kids can go off and not only kill the enemy, but also do all sorts of other horrible things. She said in the Vietnam era (and probably today as well), they would show the soldiers terrible things by film and then immediatley afterward feed them a steak dinner or give them free access to prostitutes. Having those pleasurable experiences right after seeing awful things is a great way to break down moral fiber because soon seeing the bad things alone feels pleasurable. And there you go. You have someone who can do horrific things. The question is can I turn this to my advantage in a positive way? What can I find or do or think while I eat smaller portions that will be pleasurable that will NOT be there when I eat too much? How can I pair these up? Maybe eating veggies can signal I'm about to have a good time in some way? How can I do that? I can't always take a walk or do something active after eating veggies because I'm at work. Could I stretch? Would I like that? I don't think it has to be a big thing--just some kind of happy reinforcement.
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