Day 153: Getting an Extra Hand

I guess I have some time on my hands, because I sat down and read a fascinating study out by a group of Swedes (you just hand it to the Swedes, this is a really good one) in which experiments were conducted to convince people they actually had three hands instead of two.  The New York Time's health blog Well reported this recently.  Basically, people had a sheet placed over their arms so only their hands were exposed.  A second right hand, made out of plastic was placed next to the victim's volunteer's right hand.  The person conducting the experiment would lightly brush both right hands with a soft paintbrush, and then at an opportune time, would pull out a knife as if to go after the rubber hand.  Seventy percent of people flinched when the knife was pulled out and the rubber hand threatened. 

Pretty amazing huh?  If you want to read the actual paper, click on the title of the article: "The Illusion of Owning a Third Arm."  It was published in the online journal PLos ONE.  The nice thing about this Journal is that they won't expect a handout from you if you look at the article!

Personally, the most interesting thing that was reported on Well was from an email Arvid Guterstam (one of the people conducting the experiment) sent to Well reporter Tera Parker-Pope in which he said:  “The fact that [the experiment] does work tells us something very deep about how our perceptual systems operate.  Rather than choosing one solution, the brain seems to accept that it is quite likely that each of the two hands are part of one’s body, and therefore an internal body model is constructed that includes both hands. Consciously people experience this as both hands being their own.”

So, what does this have to do with losing weight?  I think it goes hand-in-hand with the idea that the brain is great at tricking us--even when we don't want it to.  If our brain can actually convince us that a rubber arm is a part of our body, I think it is a no-brainer (no pun intended) to think that it can convince us that we need things that we don't actually need (read:  sugar and fat).  I don't have enough hands to count how many times I have said to myself "I cannot eat this terrible food," as I am chewing it up and swallowing.  It is really disappointing.

Here is a hands on example:  On Sunday, I had pancakes.  Was it good enough for me to just eat the pancakes with flour, eggs, oil, etc.?  No, after I cooked them, I had to slather butter and syrup all over the top of them.  Now, I will argue forever that the pancakes needed some of that good, old-fashioned pure organic maple syrup that my wife buys. (By the way, don't you think this organic thing is a bit underhanded?  I mean, this organic syrup stuff my wife buys is way too expensive.  I was at Costco the other day, and she made me buy the 14 ounces of that organic stuff when I could have bought 128 ounces of Log Cabin for half the price.  Every time I have some of that syrup I can feel my wallet get lighter (too bad it doesn't lighten my belly too).)  What about the butter though?  Yes, fat makes everything taste better, but did I really need it?  I mean, think about it, there I was piling fat all over my food.  Intellectually, I thought, "I can't eat this, it is terrible for me.  What kind of hand am I dealing myself?"  Physically, I was lifting the fork to my mouth and chowing away. 

The fact is, the brain tricks us into thinking things or doing things that we know are not true or know we shouldn't do.  This is, hands down, positively true in the case of addiction.  As a food addict (as most fat people are), the challenge is being wily enough to avoid the traps the brain sets for us over and over again, day after day.  It is a handful, but it is just something we have to do.

So, how do we do this?  If anyone has any ideas, give me a hand and let me know.