According to a recent survey by Timex, most women fib about what they eat.
Apparently we tell porkpies to ourselves – and other people – nine times on average per day.
Read that again, it’s important…. nine times per day we fib about what we eat.
Wow.
That’s a lot of fibs, tall stories and porky pies.
According to the survey, the foods most likely to prompt a tall story were chocolate, biscuits, cake, wine, cheese, and bread.
Let’s get something clear.
Pretending you had only one glass of red last night, when in reality you had one glass + three “little top ups” – is not big, not clever.
Same goes for ice cream. One bowl of ice cream + standing next to the freezer, spoon in hand for 15 minutes, does not equal ‘one bowl’.
It’s pure delusion. Bit like sucking in your tummy when you step on the scale (go on admit it, you do, don’t you!)
Fibbing, delusion, denial are very effective FAILURE strategies for weight loss.
I’m not for a second saying there’s anything wrong with drinking more than one glass of your favourite pinot.
Nor is there anything intrinsically wrong with enjoying more than one bowl of ice cream – just be honest, is all.
But remember this always: your body keeps an accurate measure regardless of what you admit to in your food log.
The most common fibs
Here are the most common fibs from the survey. Which ones do you tell yourself? Maybe you’re fluent with all of them, or, perhaps you have one of these on high repetition?
Either way, you need to become aware of the fibs you tell yourself, before you’ll ever become your happy weight.
Here they are:
“It was only a small portion.”
“I only treat myself once in a while.”
“I always eat my fruits and vegetables.”
“I didn’t have any of the biscuits.”
“I had only one glass.”
“I didn’t eat the last one.”
“I won’t eat again today after this.”
“I might as well polish them off now or they’ll go to waste.”
How to quit fibbing to yourself
If you’re fluent in any (or all) or the above – celebrate.
Sounds strange, but at least now you’re aware of your fibbing pattern, so you can change it. (You can’t change something that you’re unaware of).
Here’s a super effective cure for quitting fibbing (or any habit you no longer want: swearing, obsessing over negative thoughts, nose picking….ANY habit).
Step 1. Find yourself a rubber band and wear it loosely around your wrist (not so tight it cuts your circulation). Every time you notice yourself fib, flick yourself with the band.
It’ll sting. That’s a good thing. Do this persistently and over time you’ll neurologically link pain to fibbing, so you’ll stop it.
Step 2 is around error correction. It’s about replacing the fib with the truth. It’s about being accurate and honest.
For example, if you’re tempted to write in your food log three biscuits, when in reality, you had three biscuits + all the broken pieces and crumbs at the bottom of the packet + the remains of five biscuits your children left on their plates – then, say that.
In a nutshell, whenever you notice yourself formulating a fib: flick the rubber band, and replace the fib with accuracy and honesty.
So let us know how you get on. I’d love to hear specifically:
What do you fib about when it comes to food? How did you stop fibbing? Do you have lessons learned that can help us all?
Remember to share your insight and stories from a place of love and compassion. Nobody’s perfect and we’re all on this journey together.
As always, thank you for reading and sharing.
Honest love etc, Avril
