Elizabeth Anderson RD

Turns out, we aren’t that good at self-control.
The good news? Who needs it??
Researchers are discovering that teaching people to resist temptation provides either short-term gains or is just an outright failure.
“Effortful restraint, where you are fighting yourself—the benefits are overhyped,” according to Kentaro Fujita, a psychologist studying self-control at Ohio State University.
Brian Resnick from Vox.com says the implications of this are huge.
“If we accept that brute willpower doesn’t work, we can feel less bad about ourselves when we succumb to temptation. And, we might be able to refocus our efforts on solving problems like obesity.”
So what does work? Because clearly some people are managing their relationship with frosting better than me!
Fujita explains, “We tend to think of people with strong willpower as people who are able to fight this battle effectively. Actually, the people who are really good at self-control never have to fight these battles in the first place.”
Say what??
A landmark study from 2011 revealed that people who rocked self-control, those who described themselves as ‘good at resisting temptation’ reported fewer temptations throughout the course of the study.
And funnily enough, those who reported using willpower admitted they were not meeting their goals AND they were exhausted from trying!
This, I understand.
“People who are good at self-control seem to be structuring their lives in a way to avoid having to make self-control decisions in the first place, “says researcher and psychologist Brian Galla.
Galla says creating a schedule or lifestyle that makes exercise and eating healthy the easiest most routine thing to do, are the ones most likely to consistently do it.
“A trick to wake up more quickly in the morning is to set the alarm on the other side of the room. That’s not in-the-moment willpower at play, it’s planning.”
Fujita suggests ‘the really good dieter’ wouldn’t buy a cupcake because they wouldn’t have passed by the bakery in the first place. Or, they would create a negative reaction to the cupcake instead of a positive one—i.e., ‘Ick! A cupcake. What an artery-clogging, life-shortening sugar bomb.’ (I’ll let you know if this works!)
“Self-control isn’t a special moral muscle, it’s like any decision. And to improve the decision, we need to improve the environment and give people the skills needed to avoid cake in the first place,” Galla says.
Neuroscientist Elliot Berkman from the University of Oregon believes the term ‘self-control’ needs to be abolished.
“It’s really no different than any other decision making.”
Berkman is testing out a theory in his lab called ‘temptation bundling’ where people make activities more enjoyable by adding a fun component to them.
The research is still young but one study has already showed people were more likely to work out when they could listen to an audio copy The Hunger Games.
I’m personally eager to try out some of these ideas. I’d like to create an index of strategies and habits you guys use to make the ‘healthy’ thing to do, the easiest thing to do.
Please email me your ideas and I’ll compile the tips to share!

“Do you think I should keep taking my sublingual B12, Elizabeth?” Roxanne* is 3 years post op from her gastric sleeve and is wondering if the expense of the meltable supplement is worth it.
“I’m not sure, what does your latest B12 lab show?” I respond.
“Uh…..I haven’t had labs done in, well...years,” Roxanne admits.
And she’s not alone. Scores and scores of WLS clients intend to keep up with the required post op labs but life gets in the way.
People, I am here to tell you, if it has been a long, LONG since you’ve had your specific bariatric lab work done, run, don’t walk, to your nearest phlebotomist.
Every few years, the Obesity Society (TOS), the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) update medical guidelines for bariatric surgery patients. They have a list of labs that need to be done at 3 and 6 months and those that need to be done annually. Yes, every-single-year, after surgery.
Why? Believe it or not, vitamin and mineral deficiencies increase over time—regardless of your WLS procedure.
I know many PCPs push back against ordering these regular labs--whether it’s the cost to their practice, the patient or both, many providers don’t understand the necessity for the work-up.
What concerns me the most is that the damage from some vitamin and mineral deficiencies cannot be undone or corrected. The damage is permanent.
A psychiatrist speaker at a recent convention I attended, talked about patients he’s seen that were 6-10 years post op that were suffering from mental health issues--sometimes incapacitating problems.
When he looked at their lab work, he was shocked to see that for some patients, vitamin and mineral deficiencies were the sole cause.
If your provider pushes back against these labs, I’m happy to provide you with the link to the scientific paper citing which labs need to be done and when. You can share this with your provider and insurer.
Roxanne is off having her B12 checked as we speak. Armed with those results, we’ll be able to determine the most affordable and healthful path forward, specifically for her.
You deserve the same so make that appointment today. I thank you.
*names of clients have been changed