2872: Food & Social Pressure: Why Support Matters & How To Combat It by Bret Gornik and Jason Loebig of LiveBetterCo

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[00:01:03] Ja. Ich bin Brett Gornick und Jason Lobig von LiveBetterCo.org. Und ich bin Dr. Neal, Ihre Host und Narrative. Happy Monday and welcome back to another week of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web, kind of like an ongoing audiobook, and with my commentary at the end. Now we have five shows covering a bunch of different topics. Check them all out by searching for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this.

[00:01:30] For now, let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life. Food and Social Pressure. Why Support Matters and How to Combat It. By Brett Gornick and Jason Lobig of LiveBetterCo.org Think back to the last meeting you had at work where lunch was served. What food was put out? My guess is likely pizza and salad. Maybe sandwiches if you're lucky.

[00:01:59] If you happened to bring your lunch that day, did you still eat the pizza? Were you really going to be that person to sit there seemingly above these unhealthy people and not have a slice? The number one issue I find with nutrition mishaps from clients or friends is always choices made under social pressure. This was a one-off weekend. I had a birthday party. It was my friend's wedding. The list goes on and on for why you ate the cookie.

[00:02:29] Guess what? Every single weekend, especially in the summer, is a one-off experience. Something is always going on. There is always a party to join and bad decisions galore to indulge in. Somehow, people are victimized by their environment. Like, the bar itself made you drink it. This social pressure is strongest at home, at work, and out with friends. If food is in the pantry or fridge, you're going to eat it.

[00:02:57] If candy is sitting on your co-worker's desk, you'll grab that Reese's peanut butter cup every time you go by. If a round of shots comes out, are you going to be the one to refuse yours? Once someone goes for that piece of cake, it's a cascade of groupthink that we're not going to judge you for getting one too, which is how it should be. However, internally, you write off the action of actually eating the food to, well, everyone else had a piece. Here's the simplest, most direct point I can make.

[00:03:27] You put the fork or glass to your mouth every single time you take a bite or drink. Nobody forces you to do it. Hundreds of times a day, over and over again, you make the decision. There is a time and place for purposefully enjoying these foods. I'm not proposing giving it up entirely at all. However, the time and place is not four times a week and every weekend. Here are a few strategies to not be that person.

[00:03:57] 1. Create a four-day food log for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's really powerful to write down each bit of food you consume. It's suddenly easy to realize why changes aren't coming about when sugar is consumed multiple times per day. You're getting nickel and dined by happy hour beers, and your breakfast is a bagel with cream cheese. The four-day food log gets you two weekdays and two weekend days, with Friday as the transition day.

[00:04:27] By tracking your eating and drinking habits, you'll start to notice where you're weaker at dealing with social pressure and where there are holes in your decision-making process. Like, were you tired and ate whatever was convenient? Or, did you work late and not plan for that contingency? 2. Plan out your entire week's worth of food, even the food you'll be eating at a restaurant. Discipline creates freedom, plain and simple.

[00:04:54] If you're perfect all week long and plan for a refeed period on the weekend, you've done your job. This game is about consistency, and to win, you must plan. There are simply too many important decisions to make throughout the week, ranging from work, to family, to play. What you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should not occupy that brain power. Bring your lunch and sit quietly through that working meeting. Don't touch the pizza and just state,

[00:05:22] Hey, I'm not actually that hungry today. I ate a big breakfast. Then, quietly take a nice walk outside and eat your lunch a little bit later. You don't have to flaunt your superfood kale salad over the meat lover's crew. Don't be that person. 3. Clean out your pantry and fridge. If you did happen to indulge over the weekend, don't leave the leftovers in the fridge. You'll convince yourself you're trying to save money,

[00:05:48] or that cold pizza tastes better and it turns into Monday lunch. Then, the whole start to the week is shot. Start off with a win and pre-plan on Sunday. Get your food in order for the week, which includes subtracting the weekend festivities' leftovers. 4. Get your spouse or significant other on board with your nutritional aspirations. It's easier to cook healthy food together than it is to decide on two different places to eat. If you're not supported at home,

[00:06:18] it'll be the most difficult hurdle to overcome. Most couples operate on a similar frequency. You either both eat healthy and remain active, or you don't, together. Create a schedule to work out together. Create time to grocery shop and cook together. Share in a delicious, healthy meal that you labored over, together. It's an amazing transformation in social support, and cuts down on any judgment given or received.

[00:06:45] And 5. The last line of defense is simple avoidance. If you know you've got a problem with pastries, don't walk past the bakery. If you can't have one beer and relax, don't put yourself around friends that will get you to drink 10. Avoiding the social pressure that is inherently present is another great strategy when you're trying to make changes. Environmental factors are the strongest pressure cookers due to a perceived expectation for how you should feel and act. For instance,

[00:07:15] when was the last time you went to a concert sober? Maybe it's just a simple reminder from the past that causes you to do something, like drinking a Coca-Cola at the movies. That felt good, and it's forever ingrained in your memory as something you just do when you sit down to watch a movie. Understanding why you make certain decisions regarding food and otherwise is very important in making long-term changes to your health. Stop to reflect for a minute after reviewing your food log

[00:07:43] on where you can make changes to your social support. People are either helping or hurting, and it's time to get everyone playing for the same team, your team. You just listened to the post titled Food and Social Pressure, Why Support Matters and How to Combat It by Brett Gornick and Jason Lobig of livebetterco.org, and I'll be right back with my commentary. When was the last time you checked

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[00:09:09] You can reply STOP to opt out at any time. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. So much of what Brett and Jason mentioned are things that research has shown to be helpful. It was like they were quoting some of my PowerPoint slides from a behavior change class I used to teach. The one thing I would add to their advice is the act of perfect practice. Now this is probably going to sound really silly and you might be embarrassed doing this, but here it goes.

[00:09:36] You imagine someone is offering you a temptation. So you're at home. You're not in any kind of social situation. You're by yourself, but you imagine someone is offering you ice cream, a cookie, a beer, a cigarette. It doesn't matter. Either way, picture someone offering you something that you're trying to avoid. Now imagine them trying to put that bowl of ice cream, cookie, or beer in your hand. Then say out loud to that imaginary person

[00:10:06] in a nice but assertive tone, no thank you. Then say it again, no thank you. This is called rehearsal. You rehearse the behavior just like an actor preparing for a role so that it becomes second nature. It becomes a reflex. The trick is again to actually say these words out loud. Repeating them in your head doesn't do the trick. It would be like an actor trying to memorize their lines and then just repeating them in their head without actually rehearsing them.

[00:10:37] So repeating no thank you out loud will help you feel more comfortable saying those words and then the next time someone offers you something you're trying to consume less of, you'll surprise yourself with a kind but assertive reflexive response. No thank you. All right, that'll do it for the Monday episode. I hope you're having a great start to your week and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits.