Your Brain Will Lie To You
Have you ever heard the saying “life happens”? We all know the most well laid plans can get out of control quickly leading to unexpected stress & outcomes. In times like these it is important to take control of your brain before it takes control of you! Whether it is a month full of birthday celebrations, an anniversary trip, or unexpected curveballs, the circumstances aren’t going to change just because you don’t like them, or they make you uncomfortable, etc. YOU must change.
Let me preface by reiterating that the way in which you navigate the any busy season is completely personal to your goals. I won’t be disappointed in your choices as long as you feel confident in them. My goal is that you learn to make choices from a healthy mindset, as opposed to an unhealthy one. If you can master your thoughts, you can master anything!
With that being said, if you desire to do the best you can during any season of life, it’s going to take some sacrifice.
The definition of sacrifice is “a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable.”
In many circumstance, food is the thing of value (the thing we want) and often either celebrate with or have around the most. A combination of your results, your weight (or measurements), and the way you feel about yourself make up the “thing that’s more desirable”. Friend, only you can decide which one is more desirable. Which one do you want more?
Listen, I know it isn’t easy when you’re in the moment. Tempted or uncomfortable thoughts will make you believe the immediate satisfaction is more desirable. If you don’t hear anything else I say today, hear this: Your brain will lie to you.
Seriously, it’s true! Listen to this information provided in an article on forbes.com:
“Our brain deploys hacks and shortcuts to make sense of all the information we receive and attend to. In particular when we are tired, overloaded and under pressure — and when we feel at threat or out of our comfort zone — our brain will deploy shortcuts.
These hacks and shortcuts (referred to as cognitive errors, in psychology) can lead our brains to essentially tell us lies and lead us to make errors in our thinking, decisions and interpretations. In turn, this distorted thinking can show up in the way in which we behave, the actions we take or the actions we avoid.”
There is a ton of research on this particular topic, so let’s look at the different ways in which our brains may lie to us:
Emotional Reasoning - When we are emotional, we often believe things about ourselves that aren’t true. For example, “I’ll never be able to control myself around food.” These types of thoughts will convince you that you can’t overcome hard things.
All or Nothing Thinking - I see this type of thinking often in the health and wellness space. I am here to tell you it doesn’t work, but your brain will lie to you and convince you of it. For example, you may say, “I really want to eat this right now and my goals don’t matter. I’ll start over tomorrow.” The problem is, it’s a lie. Your goals DO still matter.
It’s extremely difficult to discern when your brain is lying to you, but one thing you CAN do is become aware of each and every thought - especially when you’re uncomfortable, or in a situation where you don’t feel quite as in control. If you’re anxious about a holiday party, that’s a good sign you need to turn on your “thoughts radar”.
Becoming aware of your thoughts is a powerful, powerful tool. When you have a thought that goes against your bigger goals, you’re able to step back, recognize it, and you have a better chance of overcoming it. For example, if you’re tempted to go back for a second dessert and your thoughts are all over the place concerning the decision, stop and tune in. Say, “I know what this is. This is my brain trying to make sense of all of this, and I know it may lie to me and cause me to make a decision I’m not happy about.”
Friends, THIS IS POWERFUL. Try it if you haven’t! Just knowing what’s truly happening in your complex brain - just being able to put a name to it and identify it - is a powerful tool!
In short, don’t believe everything your brain tells you!
Okay, okay - so on top of being overly aware of your thoughts, here are a few practical things you can do this holiday season that will also help you move towards your goals:
Eat protein. And eat a lot of it. I like to eat protein first and foremost because it satiates me and reduces sugar cravings. It isn’t the easiest choice to make when there’s a spread of sugary carbs in front of you. But if you’ll sacrifice and choose a hefty portion of protein first, wait 20 minutes so your brain can catch up, you’ll be surprised at how much your sugar/carbs craving subsides!
Also make sure you choose fiber-filled foods to trigger the “full feeling”.
Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry. This often causes us to overeat. Don’t “save” your calories and/or macros and starve yourself beforehand. The intention may be good, but it usually backfires because we often overeat.
Slow down. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to recognize that your stomach is full.
Know which foods cause you to overeat. They’re often the high-sugar/high-fat combo foods. Recognize that if you start eating trigger foods, it may be difficult to stop.
Last but not least, allow for grace. You need to be truthful with yourself. Don’t allow your brain to lie to you. But you’re also human. And it’s also the holiday season. Nothing about your actions should be “black or white” or “all or nothing”. Allow yourself to live in the gray area this month - to live with balance.
Please don’t hesitate to privately reach out to me if you need a little extra support this month! That is what I am here for!
I am driven more and more to empower women to take back their health and weight loss through the power of God & your mind. If you desire to feel & look your best when nothing else has worked use the CONTACT TARA tab & let’s chat! Your life may depend upon it! Mine did! January 2 there will be both programs offered: Overcoming Emotional Eating or Overcoming A Stressed Out Life to Lose Fat. Join Today!