How to fresh start your healthy eating?–?the right way
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This post originally appeared on my Substack, Storytelling It Like It Is –https://storytellingitlikeitis.substack.com
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It's January. That means I've made a huge, monumental decision.
I’m going to eat healthier.?
Sound familiar? It's a story a lot of us tell ourselves. And, if it's a story you tell yourself too, rest assured it has a solid basis in behavioural psychology.
The fresh-start effect
This desire to start fresh is the aptly-named ‘fresh-start effect’.?
As humans, we like turning over a new page. This means we often make big changes (or at least declarations) around big milestones –?birthdays, Mondays, and of course, new years.
The fresh-start effect can be a powerful motivator to lose bad habits or to build some good ones.
But it can also bring some problems…
Three problems with the fresh-start effect
1. Fresh starts defer responsibility
The fresh start is never right now, is it? Instead, it’s usually just around the corner…
That means that right now you’re left with an opportunity – nay, an OBLIGATION –?to indulge. To have that extra slice of pizza (it’s the last chance, after all), to finish off all the Christmas chocolates (so they don’t tempt you from the new path).
It’s all to help poor, Future You (the chump).
But Right-Now You? They don’t have to do anything but make the most of the last hoorah.
And that’s a nice feeling, isn’t it?
2. Fresh starts crumble when life happens
When you embark on a fresh start, things inevitably pop up that test your willpower.
No matter how strong your willpower, eventually you’ll fall off your self-imposed wagon.
But because fresh starts tend to be all or nothing, these minor (and, let’s be honest, inevitable) blips feel like they betray the very foundations of your new life. You can’t just carry on like nothing happened. No, this requires something drastic.
This requires a new fresh start…
Which takes us back to problem one.
3. Fresh starts make forbidden fruit
When it comes to eating healthily, we often cut out everything unhealthy –?every meal, snack, drink. In theory, forever.
But when we impose these rules on ourselves, we turn run-of-the-mill treats into something decadent. Something powerful.?
We’re making it forbidden fruit.
(Although it’s never actual fruit we crave, is it?)
What we’re doing is setting ourselves up for a lifetime of temptation.
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful” – Oscar Wilde, The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
Now I’m aware of the irony of using a quote from The Portrait of Dorian Gray to help achieve a healthy lifestyle, BUT I think the quote has a point.
Most diets involve us refusing things we like. And that gives those foods power.
It's so negative. It makes many foods bad. Evil temptations. And it means eating them means failure.
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Maybe a better way to be healthier? A way that's a little more… positive?
The power of positivity
If we view healthier choices in a positive way, we might not only stick with them, but maybe we'd feel a bit better about them too?
I think it's possible. In fact, I think it's rather simple.
(Of course, ‘simple’ doesn't mean ‘effortlessly easy to stick to’).
If I were more of a click-baity guy, I might have called this post ‘the one meal needed to unlock your health goals’ or something similar.
Because, really, there is only one healthy meal you need to eat to get the diet benefits you want.
The meal?
Your next one.
Make your next meal as healthy as possible
When we embark on a healthy eating push, we often see it as forever.
No more pizza with friends. No chocolate. No chip. Never again.
But what if we ignore forever, and focus just on that next meal??
Suddenly, you realise nothing is forbidden. You can have that food if you want. You’re just deciding whether you want it right now.
Instead of telling yourself a story where each indulgence is a betrayal or failure, each meal you make as healthy as possible feels like a victory or a celebration.
That means the story you tell yourself is one of your own power.
Let’s see it in action
Imagine you’re invited out for breakfast. The old logic might be either:
But with the new mindset, what if instead of denying ourselves foods, we accepted we can have these things if we want?
Starting from that point, how can I make this meal as healthy as possible?
Sometimes the answer will be that you want the unhealthy option – and that's OK! But if you choose to add the maple syrup, maybe you don't add the sugar to your coffee?
You can apply it to anything really. Buying a chocolate bar? Maybe the smaller one is enough?
Having a biscuit with your tea? Maybe one will do it (rather than a nice even 20).?
This means you have just enough to scratch the itch without going all in.
Positive attitude, healthier habits
By doing this, you realise you're not being limited by your diet. You're being empowered by it.
You're making the right decisions, for the right reasons.?
You’re not missing out. You’re taking control.?
Because, ultimately, eating healthily shouldn’t feel like a punishment. It should feel like giving yourself the fuel to complete all of life’s adventures. And some of those adventures might involve less-than-healthy options –?but that’s OK.
So at your next meal, take a moment to think about how you could make it healthier.?
And, maybe, you'll enjoy a healthier diet with less of the guilt.
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Want more tips on how to tell better stories – in your writing, your life, and your own head?