Understanding Habits—Why Dieting Can Be Hard

Scientists are still trying to unlock the power of the human brain and understand exactly how it works. One thing is for sure—it is a very complex supercomputer that's always trying to protect the individual, while making a variety of different tasks easier to perform. This has good and bad connotations, especially when it comes to the formation of habits, even though they are essential for daily function. When these behaviours are 'bad', it can be very difficult to change them, and so it pays to understand how this process works so that you can make an effort to replace the bad ones with good. What is involved?

Battling Autopilot

The brain is always trying to conserve effort and make it easier for the human being to perform each presented task. Therefore, it will remember the activities involved and create a trigger to initiate a certain follow-up action. This brings in the autopilot part of the brain to reinforce the routine, whether that be emotional, mental or physical. However, there must always be a reward associated, no matter how short term that may be, so the habit by itself is deemed to be logical.

Why Habits Are Crucial

It is important to understand that the brain is not able to distinguish between a good and bad habit, simply because it may be (ultimately) detrimental to function. It is just able to identify the triggers, actions and rewards, and these are all encoded into the brain. You may not realise it, but every single one of your previous habits is still coded into the structure of your brain, and it's not going to take much for you to relapse and fall back into that pattern. While you may think that this is unfair to an extent, it's crucial for daily activity, as otherwise you would forget how to perform a routine task and would need to learn it all over again.

Realism

If you want to embark on a new diet, you've got to make it as easy as possible for your body to adapt, and this will require the formation of new routines. For example, it's never a good idea to go 'cold turkey', as this will require a lot of rewiring. You also have to be realistic when you make your changes, as if you feel that you are in deprivation, powerful forces will be at work within you to rectify this, usually through access to junk food.

Avoidance

You have to be aware of any situations or environments where you are likely to relapse. Create different routines to avoid the unhealthy food aisle in your supermarket, or do something outdoors during the evening, when you would otherwise sit down on the sofa and snack.

Trying Again

Now that you understand how your brain works, you can change your patterns of behaviour over time. Restart your new dietary plan and don't look back, as you recraft your new life. Do your research on various weight loss programs to learn more about how to successfully lose weight.

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