THE LAST 10™ POUNDS PODCAST
EP. 59- Steps to manage the impulse to eat.
EP. 59- Steps to manage the impulse to eat.
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Hey gorgeous! So good to talk to you again. Happy Monday! I hope you had an awesome weekend. We have a brand new week ahead of us. Today’s episode is simple but powerful. Back in Episode 29, I talked about a not being a baby elephant. Today we’re going to talk about a pig. I’m not talking about eating bacon or pork. Nope. This is a whole new acronym to help you manage the impulse to eat.
I say it all the time: Our thoughts create our feelings, our feelings create our actions, and our actions (or choices) create our results. This episode focuses on yet another tool to help us control and understand our feelings so we can resist that impulse to eat. Whether you see yourself as an emotional eater or not, this episode is for you.
The Problem of Immediate Gratification (PIG)
You are the only person that gets to decide if you have a problem with instant or immediate gratification. These are your goals and your choices. It’s as simple as asking yourself whether you feel good about the results you’re creating with your weight loss right now. If not, it’s possible you have a Problem of Immediate Gratification.
Emotional eating doesn’t always have to mean stress eating. Sometimes it happens so fast you almost don’t realize it’s occurring. It can even be as innocent as a coworker making some brownies from scratch and bringing them into the office. You think to yourself, “Aw, that’s so sweet!” and before you know it that brownie is in your mouth. Today we’re going to talk about strategies for solving Problems of Immediate (or instant) Gratification, or PIG. The solution is TTTI, or Thinking Through The Impulse.
Thinking Through The Impulse (TTTI)
When you fail to think through the impulse, the result is a problem of immediate gratification. Every time you give in to that impulse, you’re training your brain that instant gratification is okay. Thinking through the impulse can break the cycle. Don’t respond to the desire. Pause, freeze, do whatever you have to do to break that little moment of desire. Ask yourself if this is going to hurt your long-term goals.
Every time we respond to an urge, we reinforce that behavior. Every time we think through the impulse to eat we break that cycle. Each time we break that cycle we reinforce the kinds of actions that help us to reach our goals.
Whether it’s eating a couple of gummy bears, a handful of fries, or having a slice of a co-worker’s birthday cake or homemade brownies, every time you decide to give in to the PIG, you strengthen your natural instinct to give into that desire. Every time you TTTI, you reinforce the behavior that will get you to your long-term goal of losing those last ten pounds and keeping them off. These moments are cumulative. Every choice made contributes to your results or lack thereof. Stop! Weigh the long-term consequences or benefits. Stay away from the PIG. Think Through The Impulse. TTTI. Use your adult brain to make the decision that will bring you toward your long-term goals, and the right choice will become easier and easier every time.
Now that you’ve identified and understood the problem of immediate gratification, sit down, grab a piece of paper, and write down all the times and situations that make you feel these impulses. Spend a whole week observing and recording these quick desires. Stop yourself, write down the impulse and the consequences of giving in, and think through the impulse.
If you have any specific questions, please send me an email at Brenda@BrendaLomeli.com. Have a fantastic rest of the week, and we’ll talk Monday.
XOXO,
Brenda
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