The Ironic Process

One of the reasons why formal diets turn to years of yo-yoing weight and frustration is because of the restrictions that we put upon ourselves. We ban Bananas because we read that they are high in sugar. We ban carbs. We ban fats. We try the next new fad diet because it is en vogue and the ‘expert’ wants you to buy his new diet book that is out for Christmas. It’s funny how this expert seems to bring out a new diet for us to try almost every year. If his other diets were so good then we wouldn’t need to change from his 5:2 diet, his Blood Sugar diet or his Fast 800 would we?

Anyway, in the long term, I am convinced that they are not sustainable and therefore are a fad to enable someone to make a whole heap of cash out of our diet culture.

When we begin to tell our brains not to do something, our brain wants to do it. That is not your failing willpower. It is not your lack of motivation to succeed in weight loss. It is how the human brain works. Yet you begin to hate yourself because you have ‘let yourself down’. But you haven’t.

Promise me now that you will not think of a Pink Elephant.

Have you thought of a Pink Elephant yet?

“Yes. But you deliberately put a picture of a pink elephant for me to see.” I hear you say.

When we open a magazine, go to the supermarket, watch TV, walk past billboards, go to a restaurant, sit on a bus or walk through the park you will also see all of the things that a poor restrictive diet will tell you not to eat. Burgers, ice cream vans, pizza adverts, cakes, rows of takeaway shops, takeaway menus through your letterbox and even the three most popular soap operas in the UK are based around the characters drinking in a pub. You can’t avoid the foods that you try to avoid from your life so I won’t let you avoid the pink elephant. And the more you try not to think about it the more it keeps entering your head. That is not you as an individual failing to comply with Dr Fad’s latest diet plan. That is the human brain.

I have worked with hundreds of fat loss clients who are amazed at my approach and how it has helped them. Do I expect hard work in the gym, home workouts and an active lifestyle? Absolutely I do! But I also give them freedom to eat food without guilt or restrictions. I aim to change the mindset of those I work with to enable them to enjoy and appreciate their food and still get their goals. We need to enjoy what we do. Exercise is not a punishment if you enjoy the exercises. Diets are not punishment if you enjoy the diet.

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote…”Try to pose yourself this task, not to think of a polar bear and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”

In Psychology teaching it is known as the Ironic Process Theory. Restrictive dieting goes against every bit of research into human behaviours and leads to what we now have in the western world. Millions of people yo-yo dieting, living with obesity and type 2 diabetes and a health care system close to collapse with weight related health issues being cited as a major issue (NHS UK). Depression due to weight struggles is another factor in our society. And what do the experts do? The tabloids write headlines such as ‘avoid high sugar fruits such as Bananas’ and Dr Fad wants us to buy his new book this Christmas.

Let me be straight to the point here…Cassy from down the road never got obese from eating bananas, it was from listening to crap journalism and experts telling her that she is useless because she can’t stay away from eating a freaking banana in the first place. This lead to further frustration and depression and continues to binge eat because she has failed in sticking to a Daily Mail headline or Dr Fads crappy new book.

The Pink Elephant won’t go away. So are we going to acknowledge it and work with it or allow it to ruin your life?