Be Biased Towards Your Favorite Foods

I always thought not eating healthy boiled down to just not having enough willpower. But I started noticing that people around me, even the super-determined ones, were struggling. A common cause? Trying to eliminate all unhealthy foods cold turkey. Thinking “If I'm avoiding pizza, how dare I have a glass of Coke or a cookie”. Adopting this all-or-nothing mindset complicates what could be a manageable journey, leading many to ditch their healthy eating efforts within just a few weeks.

Ever faced a similar issue? Well, I have a solution!

Try this simple task:

List all the high-calorie or unhealthy foods you regularly consume. Then, circle the items that you would truly miss if you were to completely eliminate them from your diet—the ones you are biased towards.

See my list for reference:

After you've made your list, begin to phase out the items you didn't circle, while still allowing yourself to enjoy the ones you did circle.

The thought of going without ramen during peak NYC winters, or never munching on pseudo-healthy soya sticks with my morning chai, felt depressing. The thought of giving up other items, however, didn’t bother me as much. In the past 5 years, I have cut out the uncircled items from my diet almost completely, while allowing myself to indulge in the circled ones occasionally.

Try this and share your list with me!