Everything in Moderation

 Fully Nourish ~ Fully Flourish

Vicki Rothschild/Weight Management ~~ A Plan For LIFE

“Life Should Be Delicious!!”

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A good Monday morning to you! A new week. Lots of good stuff coming up. Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…. Cause’ like I always say, those holidays, milestones, are fun, special and great; however, it’s the each and every days that make up majority of our lives. And THOSE days need to be fun, special and GREAT too, actually, not only too, but especially!

 

So let’s get busy with making those every single days better, best in fact. Today, I’m going to tackle the oft used “everything in moderation” myth (oh and is it ever a myth) that’s keeping so many of you from living the abundant, rich, less worries more joy life that you were meant to have, that you deserve to have and that you most definitely should and very easily COULD have! Read and heed the following and before you know it you will have transformed your life in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. It’s truly something you must experience it for yourself!

I poured over many articles on this topic, took bits of pieces from several, including that from one of my favorites: Dayra Rose, and added in much of my own words . 14+  years of health coaching and wow have I witnessed it and of course experienced it prior to starting my own journey, 15+ years ago. Oh yeah, I've got lots to say!

What Does Eating in ‘Moderation’ Actually Mean?

Moderation might be the most overused word in the entire nutrition universe.

I know, I know. You like the idea of not restricting yourself and being able to eat anything you want so long as it’s not “too much.” It sounds healthy. Balanced. Sane. It sounds lovely. If only it actually helped you achieve your goals. 

The problem with moderation is that it’s not a strategy, it’s a fantasy. Ask any alcoholic or any single person who has struggled with any type of "compulsion" - albeit gambling, drugs and in our case - binge eating, or just plain ole' - overfeeding. Eating more food than our bodies require or are capable of using efficiently and effectively.  And yeah, I'm of the strong belief there are more who struggle with overfeeding than don't. No. Doubt. About. It.

Moderation Schmoderation. Moderation leaves us far too much wiggle-room… and we’ll fill that room with what gratifies us today, despite the consequences tomorrow. Read that again please.

The very concept of “moderation” is intangible—so fluffy as to be meaningless. Does it mean you only eat one cookie at a time, or cookies once a week, or just one bite of cookie a few times a day? The truth is, most of us haven’t take the time to map out exactly, specifically what “moderation” means.  

You must know this:  Even if we did, the “moderation” would creep in when it suited our needs. (It’s easy to justify that second cookie when it’s the last in the package.)

We also like to negotiate with ourselves when we’ve set less-than-firm goals… “I’ll have two cookies tonight and none tomorrow.” But what happens tomorrow? We are creatures of habit and instant gratification, quickly forgetting what we promised last night which means tomorrow usually finds us somehow justifying that one (which turns into 5) cookie.

 

Habit research shows that black-and-white goals—without any room for interpretation, justification, or negotiation—are far easier to meet than fuzzy goals. “I will eat less sugar,” “I’ll cut down my portions,” “I’ll be careful”… all examples of fuzzy goals with loads of room for us to bend them to fill our current will and desire, forgetting our long term goals, thus being USELESS.

Your brain has no idea how to picture what moderation looks  like, so it has trouble acting on it. Without clear defined boundaries, old habits will always win. Moderation will be anything but moderate.

Willpower vs. Foods With No Brakes

The biggest problem with moderation is that it relies on willpower. And given what we know about willpower and how difficult it is to muster up when tired, angry, emotional or faced with our trigger foods and the kinds of foods that are indeed tempting us day in and day out, “everything in moderation” is a long-term losing proposition.

We spend, on average, 3-4 hours a day resisting desires. We only have one finite tank for willpower, and any number of actions (avoiding Facebook during the day, holding back an angry retort at your nasty co-worker, being patient with your kids or spouse, saying “no thank you” to the offered candy) rely on the same willpower tank.

Combine this with the kinds of foods we are attempting to moderate— “foods with no brakes.”  These are calorie-dense, carb-dense, nutrient-poor foods designed by food scientists to make you crave them, without any of the nutrition or satiety factors that tells your brain to stop eating them. They rewire pleasure, reward, and emotion circuitry in your brain, creating habit loops that are near impossible to break with sheer willpower. Stress—any kind of stress—makes these cravings intensely stronger. And the kicker? These same foods also mess with hormones like leptin and insulin, creating metabolic imbalances that further promote cravings and hunger such that no amount of willpower can overrule them.

So… you’ve got an airy concept (“moderation”). You’ve got scientifically-designed foods that have rewired your brain to make you crave them, promising pleasure and comfort when you eat them, without nutrition or satiety factors to make you stop eating them. You’ve got hormones running amok, thanks to the damage caused by your overconsumption of these foods-with-no-brakes. And you’ve got a rapidly-depleted willpower bank that runs out faster than ever, thanks to the endless temptations created by our modern lives.

 

Relying on willpower alone to somehow eat fewer of these less healthy foods is a battle you are destined to lose… which makes “everything in moderation” impossible.

 

Very briefly as this has gotten way larger than I wanted it to.  What to do instead: Of course there is no such thing as never, PLEASE don't be concerned with forever, that's a story for another day, however - Rethink, reframe and redefine how you think about these foods.

 

·       Recognize that these foods are never worth the “indulgence.” Their consequences are just too high.

·       Realize that by eating these highly potent palatable craving inducing foods, you are not getting it out of your system – but putting it INTO your system making adhering to a healthy lifestyle TORTUROUS. You will ALWAYS be craving, tempted, wanting and desiring; always be battling; always thinking, “should I? shouldn’t I?, forever going on and off “your diet”.

·     Change your tastes, break your cravings, lose your dependency on foods with no brakes. Let your love of these foods die down, dry up, whittle away, atrophy and vanish

·        Focus on whole foods. Give your body what it actually NEEDS. Nutrients.

·       Make the decision to avoid those foods that you know significantly impact your weight, your health (physical, mental and emotional) and the quality of your life. (again, don't worry about forever at this point)

·       Believe this is not deprivation—it’s the smartest choice you can make for a happy, healthy life.

Changing behavior will not happen on a whim. It will not happen with open-ended ideology. Be bold. Make boundaries. Make it black and white. Make it clear cut, make it simple, make it easy, so that you can absolutely positively make it happen.