Do something Friday

Discomfort -- the absence of ease.

According to research, people have varying abilities to tolerate discomfort and this looks like it is pretty much hardwired into us at birth. Sure, there are things you can do to push yourself into a little bit higher discomfort level but more or less, we are who we are.

I read an article the other day that stated Americans would rather be overweight than deal with the discomfort of being hungry.

Why is that? And why do we have the perception that discomfort is BAD? I understand being uncomfortable it uncomfortable -- what I think the real issue is, is that we aren't taught that discomfort is okay, it probably won't last very long and it usually passes or we just get used to it and it is no longer uncomfortable.

When I first started blogging, I was extremely uncomfortable with having my words in print out there where anyone could read them. But, as I did it, it got easier and easier and now it is no big thing -- my tolerance for the situation went up and the discomfort went down.

Chronic dieters, as a group, have higher thresholds to discomfort than many other groups -- because they are used to putting themselves into uncomfortable diet plans and sticking with it for a while.

The part that struck me about tolerance to discomfort being one of the most reliable predictors of a person's eating behavior change is that we should acknowledge that discomfort is an expected outcome -- not a side effect.

Especially, if you are starting to set aside all of the "dieting knowledge" you have gathered through the years and are replacing it with starting to trust your own sensations of hunger and fullness. That is a big, discomforting change in your belief system. It might be enough to send you running for the Snackwell's aisle because the ideas are new and scary. But you need to realize it is just discomfort urging you to eat the box of cookies! Just understanding it is discomfort lessen your discomfort.

Stick with it! Ride out the discomfort of moving away from a dieting system where "experts" tell you what you should do. You are moving towards being your own expert. You are exploring new terrain. If you are persistant, it won't take long before you get more comfortable with what you are doing -- it will be your new normal. (and then an opportunity will present itself and you will be uncomfortable again and the process will start all over). Discomfort doesn't last.