So, last night, after a full day of eating good stuff, feeding my brain and generally walking my talk I sat down to watch a movie. All of a sudden I couldn't stop thinking about the left over pizza in the fridge. I had already eaten enough, felt sated, but my brain was on a one way collision course with this pizza.
With curiosity I gave in to my urge and tried to feel whatever it was that was going on inside myself as I picked out two slices, nuked them (I felt pretty impatient and took them out before the timer went off) and consumed them--this whole process took under 5 minutes. But even as I was warming up my two slices I knew I would want the next two slices (the remainder of my half of t left over from last night). As I was taking the last two slices out of the microwave I got a phone call from Keri. She wanted to chat but I was itching to eat the pizza I had just warmed up. . Of course in this case my better self won and I didn't hang up the phone while my girlfriend wanted to chat--however it was a struggle.
So, clearly there is an opportunity for another mind hack! I have a hack for "doing" but the next hack I want to create is for "not doing".
So kiddies, lets look at what happening inside our brain when these impulses to eat stuff occur. I don't know what triggered my brain to want that pizza other than I knew it was there. I was in relaxation land--off the leash for the day. For now I'm going to assume that an existing connection between watching a junk movie and eating a salty, fatty white flour snack was the trigger--after all Iron Man is much better with pizza, right? My lizard brain started reving me up to anticipate something even more delicious than pizza--a hit of dopamine!
Mmmmmm, dopamine, delicious.
So lets talk about the two things that happened in my brain when the pizza emergency occurred.
First the desire to eat fatty, salty, starchy delicious things. Our primitive minds still think its a good idea for us to load up on calories of this sort--in nature they are scarce but also loaded with important survival oriented nutrients (salt which is necessary to balance the electrolytes in our blood, fat which is long term energy and starch which is short term energy) so there is a pleasure process built in to make sure we prefer these easy to process nutrition sources.
What happens after we obtain and eat the fatty, salty, starchy delicious thing is our brain releases a hit of dopamine and the mind gets a feeling of relief and well being (but only temporarily). Our brains naturally transmit dopamine during the day--that and other other naturally occurring chemicals in the brain keep us on an even keel. It helps counter stress--however too much stress depletes dopamine and the brain will seek ways to release the chemical (such as over eating, drinking, drug use, sex and a host of other pleasurable activities).
When I get triggered to eat something not to my benefit it takes enormous energy to overcome the urge. Because I want to maximize my available energy I want to find a way to short circuit the urge before I need will power to kick in.
I know I wouldn't have wanted the pizza or thought about it if it wasn't there BUT I also "felt" unfinished with my eating for the day--so my earlier statement about satiety isn't perfectly accurate. I knew I had enough in terms of my nutritional requirement but I was still unsatisfied. The desire was floating out there unfulfilled.
So, first thought is to ensure that foods I will mindlessly gorge on aren't readily available--this isn't something revolutionary. But, left over pizza is going to be in the house from time to time. I don't think its a useful or realistic strategy to design your life so its monastic.
But what to do with that free floating desire? I don't want to tell it to directly shut up--that takes too much energy. I want to satisfy it...I do want my hit of dopamine after all!
So, my challenge is to find that Ok thing to underline my day--the happy ending if you will. It can't be something that my brain knows is a rip off--my lizard brain is not so stupid that substituting something lousy and virtuous will cut it. It has to be something really good but not throw me off the cliff at the same time--in essence I'm applying the 80/20 principle to this problem. I will get more benefit from a tasty snack than fighting the urge to not have a tasty snack.
Ideas that come to mind:
glass of red wine
glass or port
hand full or two of chocolate covered raisins (I love them and get my supply from Trader Joe's)
blue cheese spread on toast with a drizzle of honey
I'm shooting for something delicious and about 200 calories. I know I could eat something optimal for thinking but I'd rather have the dopamine in this case--a different kind of optimization. The highest and best combo of course is something that does both. Avocado on Ezekiel bread sprinked with sea salt comes to mind. Bottom line, it has to feel like a treat.
I'm curious to hear your reactions.
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