Simplify to Succeed: Managing Decision Fatigue for Better Weight Loss Results
Have you ever stuck to your calorie deficit all day, made healthy choices, and maybe even hit the gym, just to binge on snacks after dinner?
I sure have!
Harvard Business Review reports that the average person makes 35,000 decisions every single day, from what they eat for breakfast to what they watch on TV after work.
All of that decision-making can lead to mental exhaustion. This exhaustion actually impacts our willpower and self-control.
The result is that you are more likely to make your best decisions in the morning, and by the afternoon, your brain is just too tired to make the healthy choice.
For many of us, this means our healthy habits and efforts towards weight loss fall by the wayside later in the day, hence, those late-night binges.
So what’s the solution? Today, we’ll talk about how to overcome decision fatigue to make better choices that support your goals.
The Science Behind Decision Fatigue
It’s not all in your head; there is actually a science behind decision fatigue.
In one study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers reported that the more decisions an individual makes in a day, the more likely they are to lose willpower.
They actually start to make worse decisions as the day goes on.
Decision-making takes a toll on your brain, and the more tired your brain becomes, the more likely it is to make shortcuts in the form of procrastination, impulsivity, avoidance, and indecision.
How Decision Fatigue Shows Up in Weight Loss
When it comes to your health, you might be primed to make good nutritional choices in the morning, starting your day with a smoothie and enjoying a salad with lean protein for lunch.
By dinner, your brain is sick of making decisions, so it defaults to convenience or comfort foods. This is an example of impulsivity or indecision.
Or maybe you have had to make too many choices regarding your schedule and have no set routine at the gym, so you end up skipping a workout. That’s procrastination.
Finally, you might find yourself inconsistent with your medication or food and calorie tracking, because your mental load is so full that you start forgetting or avoiding your healthy habits.
Why Simplifying Decisions Boosts Success
We all have busy lives, and the reality is that it is unlikely that your responsibilities will disappear and your schedule will suddenly become wide open.
That means we have to find a solution that will help you to make healthier choices without having to make more, well, choices.
This is where structure and habits come in. At TeleHealthNP, we stress creating habits and routines so much because creating that structure means making fewer decisions every day.
That means you conserve way more energy to make progress towards your goals.
After all, you aren’t looking for short-term motivation; rather, you are building a healthy lifestyle that creates lasting changes that stick.
Practical Tips to Reduce Decision Fatigue
Here are some tips that you can use in your own daily routine to reduce decision fatigue and make healthy choices into a lifestyle that sticks.
Plan ahead: Create a weekly meal plan, meal prep, or rotate a few simple, nutritious meals. I like the 3-2-1 method, where I shop for 3 dinners, 2 lunches, and 1 breakfast option each week.
Automate your health: Take decision-making out of the question by planning ahead. Schedule workouts, use recurring grocery lists, and pre-log meals in your calorie tracker.
Simplify your environment: Keep healthy snacks visible and remove tempting foods from your home. Keep your workout shoes and yoga mat by the front door so they’re easy to grab when you need them.
Set routines: Keep the same workout schedule every single week. Have “default” breakfast/lunch options. Keeping a routine makes it easier to stick to your habits.
Limit options: Decision-making drains energy, so narrow your choices to 2–3, whether you are looking at the menu at a restaurant or deciding what to buy at the grocery store.
Prioritize rest and stress management: A clear mind makes better choices, so make sure you are taking the time to destress and take care of your mental well-being, too.
Progress Through Simplicity
Motivation and willpower are fickle friends. You can’t always rely on them to be there when you need them.
Stress and fatigue are likely to sabotage your decision-making ability and often lead to procrastination, impulsivity, avoidance, and indecision.
Create structure and routines that reduce the number of daily decisions you are making for your health, and you are less likely to slip up.
Think about your own routine and ways you can simplify or automate some of those healthy habits and make it easier to stay on track.
You don’t have to change it all at once.
Small, consistent habits and systems lead to the biggest results that actually last.
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