Post number two

What do I want? What do I want? That was the theme for last night's Weight Watcher's meeting: having "want" power. This tied in nicely with a study that I just read on NPR about will power and motivation. A group of kids had to sit with a marshmallow or a cookie in front of them. The researcher told them that if they didn't eat it in the time he/she was out of the room, they could have two of the treat instead of the one. Some kids didn't last a second. Others tried to distract themselves by looking around, etc. The strategy that worked best was going all cognitive on that treat. The researcher suggested that the kids could imagine the treat as something else -- like the marshmallow is really a cloud. Or think about the consequences of eating the treat immediately vs. the long-term outcome.

This is good. In the meeting we talked about immediate pleasure (one marshmallow) vs. our long-term goal to lose weight (er, two marshmallows doesn't quite work here, but you get it, right?). What do we want? It's our choice. It's my choice.

Happy choosing all!

Holly