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Hey everyone, it's Mikki here. You're listening to Mini Mikkipedia on a Monday. And I wanna chat to you about cognitive restraint, which is this mental position that individuals adopt to intentionally reduce the energy intake, typically for weight management or to improve body image. But essentially it is this conscious effort to limit food intake, often through either dieting

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or adherence to specific rules. And the thing is with it though, is that this is something that is a skill to be developed that some people just naturally have. in fact, if you know anyone who never had to sort of think about the food that they eat that appears to be naturally slim all of their life, it is likely that they've just got this inbuilt level of cognitive restraint that they were born with.

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But not all of us are like that. However, it is a skill that can be developed over time. most people probably who has been on a fat loss journey knows only too well the potential pain of saying no thank you to food that you would otherwise want to eat, but it doesn't align with your goals. Or you decide to stop eating in the face of something like a hotel buffet, Pizza Hut, or you can eat, Valentine's, I know I'm showing my age here.

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breakfast or dinner. Despite knowing you don't need to eat, it can be really hard to make the decision to stop, even if not stopping creates this shame and guilt about overeating, in addition to the discomfort that overeating sort of comes with it as well. That feeling of lack of control and a failure to align our actions with our goals is one of the major reasons why developing the skill of cognitive restraint can be so helpful

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in the long term with your diet, regardless of whether or not you long term need to manage your weight. And actually, to be fair, anyone that is losing weight right now has that as a goal. At some point, your success will lie in the skill level you have achieved when it comes to cognitive restraint. Because what we see as a lack of control is more about not having the skill to stop when we want.

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and it is something that can be developed so it becomes more like second nature than this considered decision every time that you must exert it or every time you sit down to a plate of food. Developing that skill of cognitive restraint takes practice, feedback and awareness and is something that is innately helpful regardless of who you are. The thing with it, as I've said, for some people it is this default behavior pattern that they don't have to think about and for others it is a constant work on.

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I'll say personally for me, I used to have no cognitive restraint around food at all. Like I remember as a teenager sitting down and just overeating blocks of chocolate, overeating good food. Like my dad and I would sit down to these plates of pasta. We would split like a, however, whatever those packets of spaghetti would come in. We would have every Saturday split a packet of spaghetti between us. We had equal portions. My dad is not a big man.

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with some sort of pasta based sauce, then get this on top of it, we would have a baguette, half of it, each garlic bread. Oh my God. And I would eat beyond the state of physical comfort. I would absolutely overeat. Hate myself for it, but wouldn't know how to stop. Over time though, because that was several years ago now. If I'm thinking I was sort of 18, now I'm close to 48, that was like 30 years ago. Over the course of my adult life,

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I have developed these skills of cognitive restraint, which 99.9 % of the time are now just feel innate and they are my default behavior. Not all the time though, but I do put into place some strategies that allow me to exert it less often and then allows my brain to catch up with my stomach and my eyes. And these are some of the things that I'm gonna share with you now. Albeit know that just knowing about these isn't enough, you actually have to

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sort of put it into the context of your life and continue to implement and execute because that's how these skills and behaviors become habits. The first thing that I want you to do is reframe restraint as empowerment and not deprivation. This is a huge one and a big one that I had to learn. This mindset shift is about flexible control and it's not about rigid restriction. Language does matter. Instead of thinking, I can't have this, can you instead say,

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I am choosing not to have this. I would write down a couple of key phrases to allow you to actively work on the inner voice that might be driving the deprivation mindset and that allows you to change that self-talk over time. Anything that involves sort of putting pen to paper begins that neural process of changing this mindset patterns. And what I would also do is do this on the daily, spend some time, prioritize it in your diary at some point that it can never be shifted

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to allow you to reframe the restraint as empowerment. Practice mindful awareness. Before eating, pause and ask yourself if you are truly hungry. Question whether eating will support how you truly wanna feel, or is this a distraction from what is really going on? Pausing for 10 minutes when a craving hits and allowing some space can be enough time for the craving to pass. So if you have one helping of food and you really want another one, stop.

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relax, wait 10 minutes and then ask yourself the same question. And try using some sort of hunger fullness scale, like a visual analog scale for hunger to guide your eating from one to 10, rather than just these external cues alone, like there is food on the table, I'm gonna eat it. Don't rely on that. never, I know I say this, but you're not wasting food if you don't eat it. Just remember that. Set clear nutritional structures. If you have

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Pre-planned your meals and snacks or pre-logged them for people who are tracking You don't have to track in order to do this This can help remove the decision fatigue in the moment and then being reactive like you know You walk into the morning tea room. There's a cake there someone's like oh, I've got cake and you're like, oh, yeah I'll have that because you haven't actually planned anything else It can also stop you from having to exert restraint at every single eating opportunity

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Decision making does that for you. So if you already know what you're gonna be eating, you don't then have to arrive at every meal with all of these questions like, what am I gonna eat? How much am I gonna eat? Where is it come from? Instead, you've planned. That is something that I think more people need to prioritize. Honestly, a good diet will not happen by accident. It can also be helpful to remove these tempting foods out of sight, any tempting foods for this reason. And look, if you...

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live with other people, this does become a little bit more challenging. But if you can grab up all the things that would otherwise derail you, pop them in some sort of opaque Tupperware container, put it out of sight, like above eyeline or down below a cupboard, and put them all in one place. So every time you're opening the pantry or the whatever cupboard, you're not just got the treats right in front of you.

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Using habit-based cues can help you to be more mindful around portion control. Portion out what you will be eating at dinner, putting leftovers aside back in the fridge before you begin to eat. Don't just put everything on the table and have the food out because that really is a way to sort of set yourself up for failure because if the food is out there buffet style, which I know is this really delightful way to eat and it's lovely and it looks gorgeous and all the rest of it,

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But it's so easy just to sit there, have a serving, not be hungry, but continue to eat beyond your actual requirements. Eating off a smaller plate and avoiding multitasking when eating further helps to build awareness around the amount you're consuming and staying in tune with your satiety signals. I would also say that being really mindful of not shoveling your food and putting your fork down in between bites and allowing yourself to

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swallow your food to chew properly and swallow it. So you're not, I used to do this all the time, you're not shoveling your food in and then swallowing quickly without chewing it because there's that expectation of swallowing the next fork full of food. So put your cutlery down in between bites. Improving metabolic and emotional stability. So you are less impulsive around food and this is a big one. Eating enough protein and fiber at a meal allows you to naturally reduce

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This is not about food order, and I know you've seen it on social media, and yes, I've talked about it before, and yes, for some people this might be helpful, but the reality is if the majority of your plate is like protein-based foods and fiber, if you tolerate it, then naturally you'll have less of the other things which can sort of upend your diet decisions. Prioritizing sleep and stress management will help reinforce the decisions that you make around food, because lacking in either of these

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will quickly erode your restraint and your willpower. And a certain element of willpower is required for you to adhere to your diet. It's not a bad thing. Being active can help be so helpful in so many ways. Exercise improves your mood, executive functioning, and can act as an anchor behavior that helps you reinforce your other desired behaviors such as diet. And I have friends who, when they are training,

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on point with going to the gym and going for runs, they are so much more in tune with their diet and what it takes to feel good recovery, to help manage their blood sugar, and to help them perform again. When their training goes out the window, so does their diet. So think of the anchor behavior for you, it could be sleep as well, that really helps you reinforce these diet goals. Being active in everyday life outside of exercise is just as useful to help keep your appetite in check as well.

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So there is research to show that in very sedentary people, there is this uncoupling of the satiety cues in relation to calorie intake. What I mean by that is it's very easy to overeat, even if you're doing very little and even more so because our appetite signals just get dysregulated. The more active you are, you're actually much more able to regulate your appetite signals and the hormones associated with it and your subsequent food intake.

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And when I mean very sedentary, if you think about it, there are people, and this might be you, and no judgment, but it's just good to be aware. If you get up, you get ready, you drive to work, you take the elevator to your office, you're walking around an office or sitting at your desk most of the day, and then you reverse all of these things to be back on the couch at like seven o'clock after dinner, that's pretty sedentary. So if your hunger is out of control, and I've just described your typical day,

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looking at increasing your activity could be really helpful for you. Obviously accountability can be key and I've seen this so much with my Mondays Matter program too. It could be through a coach, a program, a trusted friend or family member, and this will enhance follow through for people who need the external support. Accountability around your diet is not a failure. And I know so many high flying individuals who are so successful in other areas of their life, can't understand why they can't get it together around their diet.

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and feel shame about the fact that they need this accountability piece. But you shouldn't feel ashamed. It is just for whatever reason, this is the bit that you need to work on. And for a lot of people, they need to work on it. Having that accountability coach allows you to be more consistent. And what we know is that consistency leads to better adherence. And these are the successful tenants or the tenants that keep you successful long-term in your diet.

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Also anticipate and plan for vulnerable moments because they will always happen. Have a decision tree ready so when the time arises and you're in danger of making a decision that doesn't align with your goals, you have another option available to you. For example, when I feel like a snack because I'm bored, I'll take a 10 minute walk. That's a decision tree. Pre-commit with some if-then plans ahead of time. For example, if I'm off a dessert, I'll have a decaf cappuccino instead.

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Practice decision making in low-stake settings. So this is just an opportunity to practice some of what will help keep you successful in the long term. And you're basically just grazing the groove on these skills. So this could look like deliberately leaving a few bites on your plate, even if you could finish them. It might be skipping a snack you normally have out of habit and not true hunger. So having a low or no calorie drink instead. These are micro restraints which build your ability to pause and choose.

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So it reinforces the delayed gratification that is required with cognitive restraint. Choose one situation per day to practice this. Create an identity-based anchor. Instead of focusing on the outcome, anchor your choices to an identity. For example, I'm someone who eats in a way that supports my energy. Or I'm someone who pauses before reacting to a craving, rather than I want to lose body fat.

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This reduces reliance on motivation and ties your anchors to your actions, to your values. For me particularly, I love a drink, I a beer, I love a wine. I'm starting to really appreciate whiskey. And if I identify as someone who has four alcohol-free nights a week, that is way more helpful for me than I'm trying to reduce the frequency with which I drink. Like I'm just someone who has four alcohol-free nights a week.

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That might not be something that you need to do, but it's something which I find really helpful. Visualization techniques can be super helpful. Each morning spend about two to three minutes imagining a situation where you will be tempted and picture yourself making a restrained, empowered choice. It might be the morning tea room that you're visualizing. I'm thinking teachers here, there is almost always an opportunity for a birthday cake. Practice saying no thank you.

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And don't even make excuses. Don't give someone an opportunity to talk yourself out of your decision. But the more you practice that decision, the easier it is to make it at the time. And there are studies in neuroscience to show that this mental rehearsal strengthens real life decision-making in different arenas. Understand your own patterns. Ask yourself where and when you struggle the most. Is it at the end of the day? Is it when you're around at your parents' house? Is it that your weekends don't have the structure of your weekdays?

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Once you identify your triggers, you can be proactive around creating strategies for success. This is really important because I see a lot of people who think they know where the issue is and they're trying to solve a problem that isn't even there. Instead, if you figure out where is really your sort of patterns of behavior that let you down, you can then make different decisions and have strategies for that. Build in flexibility intentionally.

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Cognitive restraint isn't about white-knuckling it forever or never having your favorite foods. Plan this flexible indulgences once or twice a week, like a dessert or a Friday night pre-dinner drinks. So you begin to challenge any all or nothing thinking that might be undermining your decisions. And also for what it's worth, I used to have this all or nothing thinking when it came to enjoying a beer or a wine.

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But for me, because it could never have been all, it was always nothing. And to be honest, my life is a lot more freer and more enjoyable that I've sort of worked my way out of that. Knowing that you can enjoy certain foods later reduces the urgency and impulsivity now, which is the essence of delayed gratification. What I will also say on this point though, is there will be people who cannot have certain particular foods that they really do trigger overeating. It might not be that way forever, but if there are things right now that are

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triggering overeating for you, you are best off choosing other foods which you can enjoy in moderation but would otherwise be considered treats. You also want to celebrate the process and not just the outcome. Acknowledge your effort as you develop the skill around cognitive restraint and other behaviours that lead you to your end goal, not just what the scales say. Make note of the times you paused and chose differently and give yourself some kudos for that, like Strava would. Reinforcement can help strengthen the intrinsic motivation that is

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ultimately required here. So, you know, as I said, this isn't just a behavior that you do or don't have. Cognitive restraint is a skill that can be built and strengthened at any time. Even the most experienced people can still struggle at times with this. Start smell and build reps. Success builds confidence and confidence fuels consistency. It's like building a muscle, which I know is something we're all interested in.

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Alright team, these are my thoughts and strategies around cognitive restraint. Would love to hear any that you use or if this was helpful or anything at all. You can DM me over at Instagram threads and X @mikkiwilliden in Facebook @mikkiwillidennutrition. Head to my website, mikkiwilliden.com and catch you next week. See you later.