What's up guys? I wanted to make this post for people like myself, who struggle with staying on their diet. For the past 2 years, I've struggled with getting lean, constantly going back and forth from 195 to 170 pounds. As of right now I'm back up to 195 and I would like to get down to 160 before May. I've been searching around for help on diet psychology and found a couple of videos I think people who struggling with cutting might find helpful:
Key points from the videos:
- Self-image plays a large role in any actions we do. Who we are right now is largely a result of the way we view ourselves. If we see ourselves as someone who struggles to get lean, then our mind will act accordingly.
- The only way to change our self-image is through a traumatic event or through autoregulation. We can't control whether or not a traumatic event happens so we need to change through autoregulation. This can be done by creating a goal card in which you write your goal, write a date in which you want to achieve that goal, and write how you're going to achieve it. You should read this card at LEAST twice a day, but I would recommend much more than that (Goal card can be used for any or goal in your life not just fitness)
- Moral licensing can also be responsible for cheating on our diet. When we morally license we tell ourselves that it's ok if we cheat today because we can just make it up tomorrow or next monday. I can personally attest to this as I've had situations where I've cheated one day and that one day turned into a cheat month. To combat this tell yourself that whatever action you perform today you MUST perform every day that week. If you cheat today then you have to cheat every day that week, thus taking out the logic that our mind uses to reason cheating.
- Have someone tell you that you must get lean and they expect it of you. It's easy for us to accomplish the tasks that other people asks of us however; it's much more difficult to accomplish the tasks that we ask of ourselves. Think about how many times you stayed up all night to finish school projects or things for work then think of how many times you stayed up to accomplish tasks that you set for yourself? If you're like most people it's probably very little or none. If you're worried that by telling someone in your personal life about dieting down they might try to sabotage your goal then ask someone here.
Sorry if this post was really long guys, I just wanted to make this post not only for guys who've been struggling to get lean by also for myself as a means of holding myself accountable to other people (building off the third point).
Key points from the videos:
- Self-image plays a large role in any actions we do. Who we are right now is largely a result of the way we view ourselves. If we see ourselves as someone who struggles to get lean, then our mind will act accordingly.
- The only way to change our self-image is through a traumatic event or through autoregulation. We can't control whether or not a traumatic event happens so we need to change through autoregulation. This can be done by creating a goal card in which you write your goal, write a date in which you want to achieve that goal, and write how you're going to achieve it. You should read this card at LEAST twice a day, but I would recommend much more than that (Goal card can be used for any or goal in your life not just fitness)
- Moral licensing can also be responsible for cheating on our diet. When we morally license we tell ourselves that it's ok if we cheat today because we can just make it up tomorrow or next monday. I can personally attest to this as I've had situations where I've cheated one day and that one day turned into a cheat month. To combat this tell yourself that whatever action you perform today you MUST perform every day that week. If you cheat today then you have to cheat every day that week, thus taking out the logic that our mind uses to reason cheating.
- Have someone tell you that you must get lean and they expect it of you. It's easy for us to accomplish the tasks that other people asks of us however; it's much more difficult to accomplish the tasks that we ask of ourselves. Think about how many times you stayed up all night to finish school projects or things for work then think of how many times you stayed up to accomplish tasks that you set for yourself? If you're like most people it's probably very little or none. If you're worried that by telling someone in your personal life about dieting down they might try to sabotage your goal then ask someone here.
Sorry if this post was really long guys, I just wanted to make this post not only for guys who've been struggling to get lean by also for myself as a means of holding myself accountable to other people (building off the third point).