TPL#8: Are You Eating Your Ideas of Comfort?

Happy Monday, Legend!

Today’s episode is on how to counter unhelpful cravings to stick to your health goals. 

But first, a special announcement:

I’m releasing my recipe book this Friday!

Protein Paradise has 70 high-protein, calorie-wise recipes designed to make healthy eating fun and easy.

It has delectable options like:

• Banana Chocolate French Toast

• Crispy Chicken Sandwiches

• Cheesecake Brownies

• Chicken Strips

• Pumpkin Loaf

• Burrito Bowls

• Fish Tacos

And more!

It’s going to be $29.97, but you can pick it up for $9.97 using code ThriveProtocol at checkout.

It’ll be available to y’all on Thursday, I’ll send you a reminder then with a couple of my fav recipes :).

A Tweet

I found the perfect tweet to accompany Protein Paradise!

Content

I’m coming back to this one; it’s about a year old but a goldmine! It’ll convince you to take Omega 3 fatty acids.

A Quote

There’s a Lebanese restaurant right by the gym I go to.

They make these flatbread sandwiches — they’re basically pizzas they bake in a hot stone oven and then roll up.

They’re soooo good.

They’re loaded with creamy sauce and cheese and pure goodness.

And for a side, they have these cheesy potatoes with garlic sauce.

You know the garlic sauce you get at donair places? That’s the one.

A flatbread and a side of potatoes have a lot of calories.

I’m maintaining a moderate calorie deficit at the moment. It’s safe to say that Lebanese flatbreads and cheesy potatoes are not a part of my diet plan…

But the other day at the gym, I got a craving for one.

I wanted one so bad!

It was all I could think about.

I used to always give in to these cravings. It’s part of why it took me so long to get to a place where I was happy with my physique.

I’d use all sorts of justifications to convince myself that giving in was a good idea.

But these justifications were wrong — these decisions add up.

The biggest difference between the version of me who went to the gym 4-5 days per week and the version who actually looks like I go to the gym was that the latter stopped giving into cravings as often.

If you’re familiar with my approach to food, you know that I don’t advise living like a monk.

I’m in favor of enjoying food and living life.

But an important part of becoming fit for life is recognizing and dealing with cravings.

I’m going to go break down the mindset shift that has made me much more successful at dealing with these moments.

What is a Craving?

A craving is just an idea.

It’s an idea that plants itself in your mind and says, “You need this to feel better.”

“This will make you happy.”

It’s pure dopamine.

At some point in your past, you had this food (we’ll keep cravings limited to food here), and you made an association in your brain that this food makes you feel good.

And then, when you’re in a situation where you’re feeling sad, stressed, or the food is available, the dopaminergic impulse to eat this food because it will make you feel better comes racing into your mind.

But these cravings — these dopamine-driven ideas of comfort — usually aren’t true.

In my situation the other day with the Lebanese flatbread, the meal I had waiting for me at home was good.

Real good.

I had Meat Lover’s Pizza Tacos as part of my meal plan that day (one of the recipes coming out in Protein Paradise).

Would I really have enjoyed the flatbread + cheesy potatoes (with over twice the calories) more than Meat Lover’s Pizza Tacos?

I don’t think so.

It was just an idea.

Eating the flatbread was an idea of comfort planted in my mind.

It would not have translated into more enjoyment.

This problem occurs when dopamine, the molecule of future anticipation, faces off against what are sometimes called the “here and now” molecules that regulate happiness and enjoyment in the present: serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin.

The dopamine-driven idea tells you that you’re going to enjoy the craving more, but dopamine has no say in whether you enjoy something.

Dopamine creates false narratives about how much you’ll enjoy something.

Dopamine tells you that the cheeseburger will be much better than the salad with grilled chicken.

It tells you that ordering a large pizza will be way better than making a healthy meal.

But is it right?

Look back on these moments in your life.

I’m willing to bet that you can think of moments when you resisted the lure of dopamine and thoroughly enjoyed the choice you made.

When you stuck to the healthy meal over the pizza, it was delicious.

And you felt better about yourself.

Dopamine is lying to you, selling you on fake ideas of comfort that you won’t actually enjoy more.

In fact, they’ll make you feel worse only a few minutes later.

Project Yourself Into The Future

Dopamine is concerned with the short-term.

It’s only focused on fulfilling a desire, not on the feelings that come after.

If you’ve ever caved for an unhelpful craving, it feels amazing for a few minutes.

But I don’t have to tell you what comes next.

You feel awful.

Countering cravings needs to involve projecting yourself into the future and seeing the lies of dopamine for what they are.

When you have a craving, ask yourself:

Seeing it from this perspective gets you to think long-term, and you realize that giving in to the craving only makes you feel good for about 10 minutes.

And then there’s the other side: imagine how good it will feel to stick to your plan.

How much better does it feel to enjoy a healthy meal instead of binging on junk food?

How much better does it feel to get up the next morning and not be afraid of the scale?

When you focus on the good that comes from sticking to your plan, you get some positive dopamine reinforcement.

You get anticipation for something that helps you reach your goals.

Craving Checklist

Here’s a short plan of attack for dealing with these cravings.

1. Is it truly a craving?

Learn to distinguish between negative “cravings” and a healthy desire for food.

As I said, I’m not suggesting you live like a monk and never enjoy food!

There is a fine line here, but in my experience, cravings are tinged with an obsessive hue.

Neutral desires are, well, more neutral.

If it’s a healthy desire, it won’t seem like the end of the world if you don’t get it.

It’ll have more of an “I can take it or leave it” vibe.

If you’re obsessed and can’t stop thinking about it, it’s probably a craving.

2. Recognize that it’s dopamine.

Learn to recognize these cravings and label them as dopamine.

You can even create a dopamine character in your mind.

Developing the self-awareness to see these cravings for what they are — ideas of comfort— is crucial.

3. Do the future exercise.

Project yourself into the future.

Think about how you’ll feel 10 minutes, an hour, a day, a week, or a month after giving in to the craving vs. how you’ll feel if you stay the course.

If you can’t get a handle on your dopaminergic cravings, you can spend years eating your ideas of comfort.

Dopamine is selling you a future that doesn’t really exist.

And you pay for it by never achieving the body or level of fitness that you want.

See these cravings for what they are.

Fake ideas of comfort.

When you’re ready, here’s how you can work with me.

I want to help you ditch confusing diets and workout programs and help you achieve your fitness goals in a way that works for you.

If you’re tired of spinning your tires, failing to get results, and wondering what you’re doing wrong, apply for 1-1 coaching now.

I guarantee your results.

You’ll hit your goals, or I’ll work with you for free until you do.

-Colin “Don’t fall for Dopamine” Matson