The Key to Having a Healthy Diet Is: Break Your Fridge at Least Once in a Lifetime
All the most valuable lessons from a broken door hinge
Due to a broken door hinge, whenever I wanted to open my fridge, its doors would fall on me. Soon, it became clear that I could open it only when absolutely necessary.
It all happened more than a month ago, but I still can’t help but marvel at how extraordinary that situation was.
Think about it: how often do you have limited access to food in today’s economy? Practically never. Of course, I could still buy it, however, not having it rot was another thing.
Nowadays, we have all the food there is–but no mechanism in the brain to cope with such an abundance. For most of human history, there was a shortage of food, and eating everything edible on the way was a wise choice.
Only recently do we need to control what and how much we eat.
Because there was no concept of ‘processed food’ before, our brains don’t get that something can taste good now (be beneficial for survival, e.g., food rich in fat and sugar) but turn harmful in the future.
That’s why we are so bad at keeping a healthy diet.
Now, as I fought through this rather curious experience of shortage: I have some invaluable insights to share. However, as usual, I’ll mix it with my knowledge of self-discipline so that it continues to be interesting.
Whether it’s diet or productivity, there is one rule I follow religiously to achieve my goals. I promise you’ll like it:
To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.
–Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Don’t fight the temptation; avoid it altogether
Life doesn’t have to be hard. Yes, you could use various techniques to resist that delicious cookie you found on the kitchen table. However, why even bother?
Resistance will only use up your willpower which you could use for something better. Secondly, even if you endure it now, you’ll probably yield sooner or later–I’m speaking from experience.
When I could no longer casually open my fridge: there was no temptation. All the unhealthy snacks were inside, but taking them out meant having the door fall on the floor, which I wanted to avoid at all costs.
To get the same effect, you don’t have to get rid of your fridge but your snacks/alcohol, whatever your problem. Give them away, throw them into the trash can–but don’t keep them in your house. Also, avoid the alleys where they are placed in the shop.
Yet, many of us don’t live alone and share a fridge with others–I’m also in this situation. Therefore, although I personally don’t buy sweets, I still have to suffer from having to see them every time I open a fridge.
In this case, talk to your family/flatmates and inform them about your new diet preferences. Even if they don’t want to get healthier, they can still hide the stuff from you.
Similarly, if your friends always choose places with unhealthy food to hang out, suggest a different location and inform them of your new dietary goals. However, ensure they don’t feel pressured by your new habits, or you can end up without anyone to talk to.
Make eating an apple easier than eating a cookie
Once eating unhealthy becomes difficult, you need to make eating healthily easier. Otherwise, things will go back to how they were.
When I didn’t have immediate access to my fridge, the only thing left was a kitchen cabinet filled with fruits. Eating some was a no-brainer. Everything was effortless since there was no alternative.
If your issue is unhealthy snacking, throw your snacks away and prepare alternative healthy versions. If you can’t resist that cold beer after a tiring day, think about other ways to satisfy the need.
Now: you don’t have to give up all your ‘guilty pleasures’ forever. Instead, outline clear conditions when you’re allowed to treat yourself, for example, when going out to meet with friends, at parties, on holidays, etc.
How not to go back to old ways
#1 Mindset shift
For these few days of a broken door hinge, I had a diet even fitness influencers would envy. However, as you can imagine–it didn’t last! As soon as I had my fridge fixed, everything got back to average normal.
To avoid this, you can’t think of dieting as a temporary way to lose weight but as a way of living. Only when you accept this can you have the body and health you want.
Therefore, don’t force yourself to eat food you hate, don’t pick dishes you’ll never have time to make, but look for meals that energize you rather than slow you down, etc.
#2 Include others
Eating is a surprisingly social phenomenon. You eat at parties, on holidays, while hanging out with friends, and so on. How will you react when your grandma gives you a whole plate of food you’d chosen not to eat?
Decide for such situations beforehand, or else you’ll feel guilty instead of enjoying yourself. Or even worse, you’ll give up altogether because of repetitive failures.
As long as it’s conscious — whatever you choose is alright.
#3 Experiment for a sufficient time
If you read my previous article:
You’ll know that the most practical approach to your goals (diet included) is experimentation: you test out possibilities, analyze the results, and modify the experiment.
Finding a suitable diet takes time. Therefore, approach it with patience and experiment until you build a solid base of meals you always return to. That’ll help you minimize the probability of getting back to your old ways.
Takeaways
Our brains aren’t used to such an excess of food we have today, so you must approach diet strategically. Thus, don’t fight the temptations, but avoid them altogether. Also, fill that void by making eating healthily more effortless so as not to return to your old habits.
When planning a new diet, remember to:
- consider it for life (not just to lose weight)
- include others and their eating habits
- experiment for a long time to establish a base of healthy meals
So, I’d like to thank my fridge’s broken door hinge. Thanks to it, I was inspired to write this article.
The writers I recently discovered that impressed me with their voices:
