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Imagine moving into a shared flat with your best mate. You’re having a great time living together and one day your mate “Bob” (*not his real name) asks to borrow 50 bucks. You lend it without hesitation, because Bob is a great guy and you want to help him out! A couple of weeks go by and you haven’t got your money back yet, then Bob asks you for $100. You remind him that he still owes you $50 from last time. He says “oh yeah, I’m so sorry I forgot! I’ll pay you back, I promise!” You don’t have heaps of money to spare but you trust Bob and you want to help your friend so you lend the $100 and move on. Bob is a great guy and people make mistakes after all, you aren’t worried.

A couple of weeks later, he asks for another $100. When you say you can’t afford it because he still hasn’t paid back the $150 you’ve already lent, he says something to make you feel guilty for not supporting a friend. So you loan the cash, wondering if any of the money you’ve loaned will actually find it’s way back to you after all.

How many times would you let this happen? How many times could Bob borrow money without paying you back, before you refuse to do it any more? How long until Bob loses your trust and you stop believing him?

Now imagine that Bob lives in your head and that it’s not money he’s after, but the cheap thrill that comes with eating junk food. Instead of asking for money, Bob keeps on asking you to eat “just a little bit of cake, just this once”. You eat the cake, knowing that you’ve been down this road before and it’s never really just this once. Bob tells you that “you’ve had a really good week, you deserve a reward!” After a stressful day he says “relax, put your feet up and take your mind off your problems with a bag of chips, a can of coke and some Netflix”. Sometimes Bob is actually very concerned for your welfare, he tells you that “everyone will think you’re a freak and you’ll have no friends if you eat healthy food at the party”.

How long do you keep listening to Bob’s bullshit before you say “hang on, you’ve lied to me over and over again for so many years now and I’ve only gotten fatter, sicker and sadder, I’m not going to accept it any more!”

If Bob keeps asking you for money and you keep refusing, he won’t keep asking forever. You can still be his friend, you can still love him but once he figures out he can’t take advantage of you anymore, he’ll stop trying.

If cravings keep popping up and they keep getting rejected in a healthy way, then guess what?

The first thing you need is a plan for how to recognise when cravings are talking bullshit in your ear. The second thing is a plan for what to do instead.

Note: Does your inner junkie have a name?

Eat simply, live fully,

Andrew

PS. Check out our courses to help you understand more about both good health and effective behaviour change. Click HERE