Monday, October 29, 2007

The Fallacy of Rewards

My friend is on a diet. She promised herself a ring if she loses some number of pounds, and she is close to her goal. I need to lose more than some number of pounds. My husband who rarely goes further than his comfy chair when he’s not at work agreed if I lose this gianormous amount of weight we could go to a cabin with a screened porch in the mountains on a lake with the dogs. I am told visualization helps in reaching goals, but I seem only to be losing the same two pounds over and over. Maybe why: when I am craving food I visualize my happy, happy, much thinner self on that porch on that mountain looking out on that lake. Then I realize that happy, happy thinner me looking out on that lake wants chocolate.

4 comments:

Keetha said...

Visualization works too well for me. I spend so much time picturing myself thin and healthy that I feel like I ALREADY am. So no need to eat so many salads, baked chicken breasts or fruits - I'm already thin and healthy! Ditto with exercising.

The mind is a very powerful thing.

Nicole said...

Ah...so then. Why (italics) is it that the happy, happy thinner you is in paradise and still craving chocolate? It's not the geographic location or the measurement of the gravitational pull on ourselves that makes us happy. We make ourselves happy. We choose it. Now and now and now again. When you can be satisfied that you are who you are where you are, you will let go of all that and be free and you will not struggle with the illusions of cravings and pounds. I know....I'm a party pooper. :))

Camellia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Camellia said...

You are right, Nicole. Readers, she has a lovely blog on Living Happy. Still, sometimes chocolate is just chocolate. And here's to our powerful minds, Keetha, who really does eat lovely food, and shares her recipes.