The Psychology of Decision- Making

The Psychology of Decision-Making

(‘The Family Feud')
(adapted from an article by John H. Sklare Ed.D)
You can't change your weight until you change your mind! That is a simple fact of weight loss and wellness. In a nutshell, in order to create real change in your life, you must address more than just the body. You must also address the mind! The physical act of eating always follows the mental decision to eat. It IS a decision. The tricky part about this decision to eat, however, is that it is not always a conscious decision. Change your thinking and your body will follow. The truth is this: there is one incredible moment when the decision to eat is made and-if you can manage that moment –you can solve this problem.
There is an awareness technique that will help to eliminate what is referred to as MEE Syndrome (Mindless Emotional Eating). There is no change without awareness, because awareness allows you to see other alternatives that are also available to you at the moment.
Most people who come into a weight management clinic have already spent more time and money than they care to remember, trying to solve the weight control puzzle. Frankly, one of the primary reasons that people fail at weight loss is they continue to look in the wrong place for the answer. Most people continue to search "outside” for the perfect diet, the best doctor, or the magic pill. The truth , however, is that the answer to solving this problem isn't outside at all. It's inside.
There is a rhythm of life; that is how the whole world operates. There is high/low, happy/sad, awake/asleep, good/evil and the list goes on. Opposing forces balance our existence. Just for the purpose of discussion, you want to think of the two opposing forces inside us in simple terms. These two opposing parts of ourselves that struggle with eating. One is the adult. This is the part of us that comes into the clinic caring deeply about wanting to eat properly. It is the responsible part of us. The other is the child. This is the part of us that that has no interest in changing, and doesn't care how one looks or feels. The conflict between the adult and child is the struggle we have with controlled eating. This is the "family feud”. By nature children are emotional decision makers. They just want what they want and they want it now! They want instant gratification and need a responsible adult to look out for them.
Now the key to changing the child-part that is making decisions about eating is to learn how to take control of that aspect of us. We must learn about this internal struggle and develop techniques to control it.
Thus, for those who journal (research shows that journaling is an integral part of the success formula and it is also a great way to release feelings and emotions while helping individuals to become more mindful about what, when and why they eat), make an extra column. Every time you put food in your mouth, record either an "A” or a "C”. You need to decide, prior to putting anything into your mouth, who is making the decision to eat. Is it the responsible Adult ("A”), or the irresponsible Child ("C”). Then tally the A's and the C's at the end of each day or week.