Why Is Dieting Difficult But Budgeting Easy?
March 19, 2009 – 5:19 am
This post is a bit off topic, but I’ve been wondering for a while why some people can be completely dedicated to budgeting (me) yet can’t seem to consistently eat well (me). After all, isn’t a diet just a food budget?
Budgets have rules and diets have rules. Whether you’re on a official “diet” to lose weight or are just on a “healthy diet” to maintain health, you’ve decided to follow a set of rules. They might be strict just like your important budget categories, or they may be relaxed. Either way I find it odd that I can be strict in one area and yet continue to struggle and have issues with the other.
I have found that keeping a daily food journal helps, just like have a written rather than mental budget helps. It seems cumbersome and tedious at first, but after a while it really becomes second nature. If I write down what I plan to eat each day it helps me pack healthy meals and snacks. I think it also conditions a brain a bit by getting it to agree early on that I am going to eat XYZ. That way when it comes time to eat later in the day there is less of a mental argument.
I’ve also found that it’s easier for me to eat well when I’m at work, mostly due to peer pressure. And it’s not even that my coworkers eat in a healthy manner. It’s that they’ve seen me (try) to eat healthy foods for a while now, and if they see me eating a piece of cake they give me a hard time. 
With a financial budget it’s actually the opposite. You only appear to be successful if you have a nice house and a nice car. Unfortunately this economy is starting to show people and entire corporations that you can’t live on borrowed money or leveraged assets forever.
I’ve also read that some people can have a physical addiction to food, and I believe I fall into that group to some degree on the lesser side of the scale. I fully admit that this addiction was probably brought on my my own behavior from early in childhood, I also recognize that it’s very difficult to change years worth of conditioning. I’ve been committed to making a change for a while now, and although I still struggle I have made remarkable progress and continue to improve. Fortunately one of dominant traits in discipline, which has enabled me to find more success than others in this area. I know it’s hard for a lot of people to understand how this feels, especially my wife. She’s never been interested in food, so like a lot of people she doesn’t understand why, for example, people who are overweight don’t just eat less. Likewise someone who doesn’t drink alcohol probably has a hard time understanding what it’s like to be an alcoholic. You just have to live it to understand.
I think that sticking to a budget and sticking to a diet are further complicated by the fact that you can’t give up either one entirely. Some people are addicted to substances you can live without. Although beating the addiction is very difficult, once you are free it’s possible (although still hard) to stay away from the substance. With money and food, you still need to use and interact with both on a regular basis.
It’s also possible that it’s a matter of extremes. Budgeting is a bit easier than eating well for me because our budget isn’t nearly as strict as it could be. My wife and I have finally reached a point where we’re comfortable with our budget. We live a frugal lifestyle and have the luxuries we desire (nothing extravagant…our luxuries are things like buying books and having a DVR). Therefore although we do track our budget monthly and review our progress towards our goals regularly, we don’t usually have to tell ourselves “No” when we want to spend a little money.
Eating, on the other hand, requires very strict guidelines for me. I’ve worked out consistently since I was in the 5th grade, and so I’m not able to drop a few pounds simply by going on a walk for 30minutes a night like a lot of lifelong couch potatoes. Therefore in order to maintain my health I need to be extremely careful with how much I eat and the types of food I eat.
Do any of you struggle with this? Have you found any tips or tricks that have helped?
Image Credit: Anderson Mancini
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6 Responses to “Why Is Dieting Difficult But Budgeting Easy?”
It is easier to budget for you, but not for everyone. It all depends on what activates the pleasure centers in your brain. For me, saving money activates the pleasure center. Also for me, eating activates my pleasure center.
So while I agree it’s harder for you and I to diet than manage money, some people have the exact opposite problem.
By the weakonomist on Mar 19, 2009
I’ve noticed the same thing; the self-discipline needed to stick to a budget pales in comparison to the discipline required to consistently eat healthy.
My roommate and I recently began a competition; whoever has the more defined abs at a specified date about 2 months from now wins $5. I can’t believe the motivation it’s giving me- I’ll have to utilize friends more in similar situations.
By Blake@youngdough on Mar 19, 2009
I think they are both equally challenging; both take determination, resiliency, desire, patience, and sacrifice. But the end results are worth it.
peace,
mike
livelife365
By Mike Foster on Mar 20, 2009
yeah i agree with blake a competition with a friend is more effective than do it alone. and if you don’t have a partner i do one thing give an reward for our self like if we done it and get success in hold on our self. nice blog.. hope we can be friend
By pandi merdeka on Mar 20, 2009