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> There are no cool tricks to improving yourself. This is bullshit. There are lots of simple tricks you can employ to improve yourself. For example: >If you w

> There are no cool tricks to improving yourself. This is bullshit. There are lots of simple tricks you can employ to improve yourself. For example: >If you want to stop eating sugar If you want to stop eating sugar, throw it all away, and when you go to the supermarket go when you have just eaten, and avoid buying sugar and sugary products. This gets recommended a lot, but because it is good - Atomic Habits by James Clear.

raspyberr 5y ago
So the cool trick to not eating sugar is... not eating any sugar.
- b3morales 5y ago
  No, it is two steps before that: re-arranging your day-to-day so that there is no sugar to eat.
- Levitz 5y ago
  No, there is a lot around that, which results in not eating any sugar. It's really simple and intuitive once you actually think about it. If you found yourself in a situation in which eating sugar was more effort you would be less prone to doing it. Not doing something makes it easier to not doing it afterwards too. Treatment of any addiction steers right away from the "just don't". It's silly, humans just don't work by simply willing things into place harder and harder, they can either just do things or not, in the former case it's not a problem and in the latter there are things that work and can transition into the former.
ppg677 5y ago
"""If you want to stop eating sugar, throw it all away, and when you go to the supermarket go when you have just eaten, and avoid buying sugar and sugary products.""" So much easier when you live alone. My spouse buys sugary crap for my kids and then I have to resist all the time. Which I can't. Thus I am overweight.
- nine_k 5y ago
  Talk to your kids :) Also, suggest lower-calorie snacks.
- james-bcn 5y ago
  Well it sounds like you need to discuss things with your spouse. If she doesn't want to stop buying sugary crap, then ask them to put it in a locked cupboard, and them to keep the key. If your spouse doesn't want to collaborate with you on your goals and things related to your health, then you have some serious discussions to have.
- antisthenes 5y ago
  Here's a simple trick - stop shifting the blame on other people. I really don't get your defeatist attitude: 1. You don't have the willpower to stop eating sugary stuff 2. You don't have the willpower to have a conversation with your spouse to stop buying sugary crap 3. Barring 1 or 2, you aren't talking to your kids to convince them to stop demanding less sugary stuff or aren't presenting them with tasty alternatives. I'm sure in response to this I'll get a lot of angry replies to the tune of "it's not so simple" or "I don't have enough time for that" or "willpower theory is a myth".
  - b3morales 5y ago
    I agree that will is required; the trick though is recognizing where to apply it. I think 1 is a losing strategy. 2 is an excellent starting point, but it might be blocked by another bad practice of some kind...so maybe that needs to be identified and fixed first. I guess the point is that, like that old joke[0], having the hammer is not enough -- knowing what bit to bang on is also critical. [0]:https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/06/tap/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/06/tap/
- foogazi 5y ago
  > Which I can't. C’mon, just say no
- pizza 5y ago
  Do you think you could communicate them that it's ok to have treats as long as they stay outside the house? Seems like they don't yet know or understand your underlying need to keep them out of the house.

raspyberr 5y ago

So the cool trick to not eating sugar is... not eating any sugar.

b3morales 5y ago
No, it is two steps before that: re-arranging your day-to-day so that there is no sugar to eat.
Levitz 5y ago
No, there is a lot around that, which results in not eating any sugar. It's really simple and intuitive once you actually think about it. If you found yourself in a situation in which eating sugar was more effort you would be less prone to doing it. Not doing something makes it easier to not doing it afterwards too. Treatment of any addiction steers right away from the "just don't". It's silly, humans just don't work by simply willing things into place harder and harder, they can either just do things or not, in the former case it's not a problem and in the latter there are things that work and can transition into the former.

ppg677 5y ago

"""If you want to stop eating sugar, throw it all away, and when you go to the supermarket go when you have just eaten, and avoid buying sugar and sugary products.""" So much easier when you live alone. My spouse buys sugary crap for my kids and then I have to resist all the time. Which I can't. Thus I am overweight.

nine_k 5y ago
Talk to your kids :) Also, suggest lower-calorie snacks.
james-bcn 5y ago
Well it sounds like you need to discuss things with your spouse. If she doesn't want to stop buying sugary crap, then ask them to put it in a locked cupboard, and them to keep the key. If your spouse doesn't want to collaborate with you on your goals and things related to your health, then you have some serious discussions to have.
antisthenes 5y ago
Here's a simple trick - stop shifting the blame on other people. I really don't get your defeatist attitude: 1. You don't have the willpower to stop eating sugary stuff 2. You don't have the willpower to have a conversation with your spouse to stop buying sugary crap 3. Barring 1 or 2, you aren't talking to your kids to convince them to stop demanding less sugary stuff or aren't presenting them with tasty alternatives. I'm sure in response to this I'll get a lot of angry replies to the tune of "it's not so simple" or "I don't have enough time for that" or "willpower theory is a myth".
- b3morales 5y ago
  I agree that will is required; the trick though is recognizing where to apply it. I think 1 is a losing strategy. 2 is an excellent starting point, but it might be blocked by another bad practice of some kind...so maybe that needs to be identified and fixed first. I guess the point is that, like that old joke[0], having the hammer is not enough -- knowing what bit to bang on is also critical. [0]:https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/06/tap/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/06/tap/
foogazi 5y ago
> Which I can't. C’mon, just say no
pizza 5y ago
Do you think you could communicate them that it's ok to have treats as long as they stay outside the house? Seems like they don't yet know or understand your underlying need to keep them out of the house.