A Psychological Solution To Losing Weight
The Mastery Letter #21
It may come as a surprise,
But you actually aren’t a terrible human for being overweight.
You aren’t lazy or undisciplined.
You have been attacking weight loss from the wrong angle, a logical one.
You have the wrong strategy.
As humans, we have 2 primary drivers, reason and emotion.
Emotion can be viewed as an elephant, and reason as the rider.
We are primarily controlled by our desires which are regulated by emotion.
This means the elephant will have most of the control, most of the time.
The elephant, or our desires, can also be called the automatic system, because all it really does it respond to different stimuli in the environment it is in.
The rider, or our reason, can also be called the controlled system.
The rider wants to get healthy, ripped and wealthy.
The elephant wants to sleep in and eat cheez its
The elephant (automatic system) will always win 1on1...
UNLESS..
Change your environment to adjust what the elephant can see that way it can't react.
Trick the elephant (tools and systems)
Psychological vs logical
Losing weight is not solved by the push harder button or forcing more will power by fighting your elephant.
It is solved psychologically by using:
Tracking – What you track is what you improve
Tools – Simplicity, fewer decisions, more automation
Reducing limbic friction – the habit isn’t drastically different and difficult
Lynchpin habits – adjust current habit slightly or stack to current habits
Environment – If you can’t see it, you won’t eat it. If it’s near your “watering holes” it’s easier to do.
Tracking
The best way to track is to use applications to make it simple and put them all in a folder on your iPhone background.
StepsApp is great for tracking steps
MyFitnessPal for calories and protein
iPhone notes for reps/weight in your workouts
Google Calendar for your time.
Aura ring for tracking sleep
After you track for a while, you get a sense of where you are at.
I no longer use MyFitnessPal because I eat the same meals and know how many calories and protein are in them.
It becomes easy.
I will always track my workouts because I have to increase the amount.
I will always track my time because it changes.
Lynchpin habits
These are habits that make OTHER habits easier to execute.
Why?
Because you’re stacking the new habit with a current habit that you already enjoy doing.
This reduces limbic friction, making it easier to form the habit.
Examples:
Standing desk while working/gaming
Walking pad to walk while working or watching tv
Mouth tape on nightstand to tape mouth before bed
Sunscreen on your work desk
Weighted vest to progressively overload homework outs like pushups, pullups and Bulgarian split squats.
Weighted vest to turn your walks into a 2-hour ruck, recommended by Andrew Huberman.
Environment
What is close to you, is what you will do.
There is a concept I got my Alex Hermozi called “Watering hole”.
Everyone has 2-3 places that they spend most of their time during the day at.
There are two sides to this:
Keeping things you want to avoid AWAY from your watering hole
Putting things you want to do IN your watering hole
For me, it’s my living room table and my work desk.
If I need to get anything done, I set in on my desk, or my coffee table.
I use my environment to the fullest extent possible.
I take hot baths every morning first thing. I set 40oz electrolyte water, sunscreen, and facial cleanser on the edge of the tub, because I know I will get it done.
If you need to drive 20 minutes to lift weights after a long day at work, the likelihood is very low.
But, If you have a weighted vest, and you can do bodyweight exercises in your living room, near your watering hole, the likelihood is much higher.
If you need to hit 10k steps per day, but it’s cold outside, you likely won’t go.
But, if you have a walking pad in your watering hole, you can walk while you watch tv.
If you need to hit your calorie goal for the day, and you have cheez its and bullshit in your pantry, you are going to go overeat.
So do not have any snacks or unhealthy processed food in your home.
Thats it folks.
Talk to you next week.
-Brandon
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Here is my free program to help lose 20lbs and reduce sitting damage.
P.S I'm looking to help 3 six figure entrepreneurs:
• Drop 20 LBs of fat
• Gain 5 LBs of muscle
• Skyrocket their energy levels
Without lifting weights or a restrictive diet.
If you’d like to work with me directly, schedule a free strategy call with me.