Possibly too deep a question regarding compliance

[Dave Longley]

Over the last 11 weeks, I've dropped 24lbs in body weight. I have done so using the recomp macros from the original "To Be a Beast" article.

260lbs down to 236lbs. Happy days.

More often than not though, I catch myself having a couple of pieces of chocolate. I always add it to my daily total, but my immediate thought is that if I don't make a note of it, it doesn't count.

What's that about? I'm a sane (ish) man, who prides himself on reasoning and logic. I've eaten the food, yet there's a bit of my brain that tries to convince me that if I don't make a note of it, it doesn't count.

I find it interesting, and it hit me hard enough, today, to want to ask you about it.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

You're asking why, if you eat chocolate knowing it has macronutrients/cals associated with, you rationalize that if you don't account for it-it's like you never really ate it?

That, my friend, is something I do not know anything about other than to say I have heard of other folks doing the same thing. It still baffles me.

Nice job on the weight loss so far!

[Dave Longley]

Sorry for not being clear. Yes, that's what I was asking! I wondered if it was same thing as those that "cannot put weight on" no matter how hard they try.

To me, it emphasises the importance of keeping track of macros. I just find it very odd that my brain would try and do that to me. Like it's trying to sabotage me!

[Bolson32]

I think you're just feigning ignorance my friend. It's just a mental way to justify the cheat, pretty much the same thing that any lie we tell ourselves to justify something is.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Depending on how Freudian or deep into the psychoanalysis you want to get, I think the main mechanism is to reduce "tension" you have of the illogical action- e.g. not counting macros you know you ate, and your acknowledgement that they do, in fact, count. So you rationalize it away to make yourself feel better, simply put.

[Dave Longley]

I think you're just feigning ignorance my friend. It's just a mental way to justify the cheat, pretty much the same thing that any lie we tell ourselves to justify something is.

To a certain extent I agree with this. I'm certainly not feigning ignorance, I'm pretty ignorant. I can suggest what I think is going on, but I thought Jordan would have a better idea than I.

The reason I asked was because I was able to logic it through, log it on to my daily total and carry on with my life, but for a fleeting second the idea of not logging and not counting it went through my head.

To be a Beast is one of my favourite resources. It mentions at the start that nutrition is simple (I'm paraphrasing) and on the surface it is. You eat and that has an effect. Simple. Jordan often refers to issues of compliance, and how low carb/high carb/Paleo might be better for people in terms of compliance.

So with nutrition being "simple", it seems that compliance can be a big stumbling block for people. Chatting to a friend about diets, she told me that she went to group therapy sessions about food. She relayed a story about people walking in to supermarkets and smelling fresh bread. Everyone nodded. The group leader then asked how many of the group had purchased fresh bread as a result of that smell. They all nodded agreement. Group leader then asked how many people had consumed an entire load of fresh bread in the car, after shopping, before driving home, and had never told anybody.

They all had.

This was a group for people who "couldn't lose weight" and it seemed to be all linked in more with compliance and psychology rather than eating the right foods.

So at one end of the spectrum, you've got idiot me, who chuckles and then logs the chocolate regardless. Then you've got people eating in secret, then complaining they can't lose weight.


Sorry if this drags out an already boring thread. I dropped another 2lbs over the last week and I'm now shredded.

[DeriHughes]

If it helps you psychologically to "cheat" yourself by not putting every macro down, and you've still lost 24lbs in 11 weeks, then keep doing it I reckon.. I do the same, FWIW!

[jlauerman]

Theologians call it "original sin" and I can assure you that I have it.

Jim

[tzanghi]

Depending on how Freudian or deep into the psychoanalysis you want to get, I think the main mechanism is to reduce "tension" you have of the illogical action- e.g. not counting macros you know you ate, and your acknowledgement that they do, in fact, count. So you rationalize it away to make yourself feel better, simply put.

I believe this is termed "cognitive dissonance" in psychology.

[Dunk]

Haha I do this! I think it's also to do with the quantity (if its small it doesn't count). I can't speak for anyone else but this gets a lot better as time goes on whilst tracking your macros, I've been tracking for a solid 6 months and only in the last couple of weeks have tracked the squash I drink.