Instant Gratification
Marketing campaigns in print ads, radio and TV commercials say that we can have anything we want right now. Instant make me feel good for the moment rewards are ours for the taking! We have become accustom to immediate gratification and even told on a daily basis that we deserve it! If it feels good, buy it, do it, eat it!
Momentary Pleasure
This is an emotional state that lasts for a short while. It is temporary enjoyment. Eating a piece of chocolate cake can give you a few moments of pleasure but once the taste and the act of eating it are over so is the pleasure you derived from it. It does have some instant gratification for us that is why we like it. Once the feeling of pleasure is gone we are dissatisfied and it sets up to want more of the same. Thus begins the roller coaster of over eating, seeking momentary pleasure from food.
Happiness
This emotional state is a longer lasting emotion. It comes from a long term feeling of fulfillment and a deep sense of serenity. It is not dependent on any external factor. It is a lasting state of contentment. Being at a healthy weight, eating healthy food, regular exercise and enjoying a healthy lifestyle can contribute to your long term happiness.
Faced With Choices
We have been programmed to chose momentary pleasure, live in the moment, if it feels good, do it! Instead we need to look at our long term goals. What about our future, where do we want to be health wise a year from now, 5, 10 or 20 years down the road. What state of health do we desire to have?
We need to think about the long term consequences of our choices on a daily basis and the impact they have on our long term goals for a healthy mind, body and spirit.
When faced with a choice ask yourself how does this choice fit in with my desire to achieve my long term goals? Does it help me get where I want to be? Does it set me up for future success or does it only offer momentary pleasure? Do I want to chose momentary pleasure or long term happiness?
Think Outside The Box
If food is your only pleasure then it is time to think out of the box and make a list of other things that can bring you momentary pleasure. When you have the urge to soothe yourself or you need to feel some momentary pleasure choose something from your pleasure list instead of food.
Here are some non food things on my pleasure list.
A walk in nature, a chat with a friend, kissing my spouse, hugging my kids, reading a book, learning a new hobby, riding a bike, listen to music, watching the sunset or rise, getting a manicure, volunteering, mentoring, going for a drive, dancing in the kitchen, blogging, watching ducks in the pond, tending to my flowers, taking photos, window shopping, watching a movie, spending time with my family and looking at old photographs.
Short Term Sacrifices
While we are in the losing weight phase of living a healthy lifestyle some food restrictions and sacrifices are necessary as the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than we are burning.
It doesn’t mean you will never chose the chocolate cake for momentary pleasure but if you are dedicated to getting to a healthy weight you might want to skip dessert in the short term, to help you achieve that goal. Once you achieve your goal weight you then have to make healthy choices to sustain your new life style.
It doesn’t mean you will never chose the dessert or what ever is your food pleasure but you will most likely choose it less often because you are enjoying the long term happiness that comes from the serenity and contentment that having a healthy mind, body and spirit gives you. There is no food that can give you this kind of happiness!
Enjoying long term happiness.
Tami
What is on your non food pleasure list?
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10 comments
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JourneyBeyondSurvival says:
August 19, 2010 at 11:19 am (UTC -7)
I’m working on that list. For me, blogging is a huge chunk of that list.
reading blogs
writing posts
building blogging community
reading books
watching movies
cooking with my kids
flirting with my husband
joking with my family
being active with my family
Karen says:
August 19, 2010 at 11:28 am (UTC -7)
Another interesting and wise post Tami!
I have to second all of JBS’s blogging pleasures. And add spending time with my kids, biking with my husband and working out with my mom, enjoying a beautiful day, a good laugh, scrapbooking. Hmm. Must think of more!
Tish says:
August 19, 2010 at 11:57 am (UTC -7)
This make so much sense to see it all laid out like that. It shd be mandatory reading whenever I’m faced with those beguiling food choices. Yep, I have things I like better. Reading a great book in my bubbly Jacuzzi, riding my bike w/ DH, playing games with the kids and grands, road trips w DH, hiking, going out in the early morning to see what’s up in the garden, reading to my grands, baby watching, running by myself with some great music on my ipod.
Genie@dietof51 says:
August 19, 2010 at 12:35 pm (UTC -7)
A serene, sensible post. It all makes so much sense when you put it that way!
Ewa says:
August 19, 2010 at 3:22 pm (UTC -7)
I am so glad I found your blog.
What a wise post
Mary (A Merry Life) says:
August 19, 2010 at 5:01 pm (UTC -7)
Very smart post. I am going to agree with the previous comments, they have most of my things on their list!
Helen says:
August 20, 2010 at 4:48 am (UTC -7)
Such a good post.
True happiness for me is never found in the superficial, but for some reason sometimes only a trip to the superficial reminds me of that.
True happiness brings about a contentment that you just can’t find in temporary things. So worth waiting for.
Cammy@TippyToeDiet says:
August 20, 2010 at 12:35 pm (UTC -7)
I think I’m very lucky in that food and happiness (or unhappiness) never linked up for me. I need to explore that more, so thanks for the prod.
Anonymous Fat Girl says:
August 20, 2010 at 1:14 pm (UTC -7)
I agree – very smart post indeed. It’s unfortunate in my life how much I have equated the short term happiness of eating a bad meal with a stab at long term happiness… In reality, that short term gratification made the long term an impossibility.
Julie (A Case of the Runs) says:
August 22, 2010 at 6:46 pm (UTC -7)
Saw your blog from Healthy Living Blogs. Your pics are amazing… makes me hungry for something sweet and sticky right now, lol!
As for non-food pleasures, I agree that we need to think about these things before trying to fill that void w/food. Here’s mine:
- reading blogs
- writing in my blog
- running (sometimes)
- warm showers
- lotion
- sauna after a workout
- lying on the ground (weird, I know!)
- watching stuff on YouTube
- shopping
- snuggling with the “other”