There is a relatively well known psychological study where the experimenters place a marshmallow, or other tempting treat, on a plate in front of a child.They then leave the room, promising that, if that item is still there when they return, the child can have more of them. Of course, many of the children cannot resist the sweet and will consume it immediately. Others find ways to distract themselves until the adult returns.

What is particularly interesting is that those who are able to delay gratification and not eat the sweet tend to do better in other areas of life as they grow and develop, as though this skill is transferable.

Almost everyone struggles with weight loss. We all know the benefits of optimising our weight for health, but the reality is that the process is incredibly challenging. At least with a marshmallow you get 2 when the tester returns, in weight loss you simply don’t get negative things a long way down the line. Frankly, its is the ultimate delayed gratification, if we ignore the Abrahmic concepts of Heaven. The true payoff comes at the end of a life hopefully well lived, when you perhaps get to enjoy a longer healthspan.

Assuming that the rest of the body’s homeostatic mechanisms (hormonal balance, neurochemistry, renal function, cardiac function etc) are correct, then for all the diet tea adverts and weight loss pills, weight management really is an energy management equation with no shortcuts. Precisely how that energy is composed and therefore how your body uses it is another matter, but for the purposes of most people’s understanding, if you consume more than you require, if goes in the baggage and you end up carrying it around, leading to pain, dysfunction, and increased risk of disease and early death.

However, don’t eat that nice pizza / pasta / curry / noodle bowl or we may have to chop your leg off in 20 years time doesn’t ring true with the hungry monkey deep inside who thinks that tomorrow might not come either, food is scarce and resources need to be hoarded. We struggle to make the long term interventions that will make a difference because the pay off simply doesn’t exist on most people’s radar.

To manage the monkey, we need to work with it, not try to beat it. Eat a little less (especially energy dense, processed foods) move a little more, use resistance training to optimise muscle mass and reward yourself for the small wins. Just don’t obsess over the scales and remember there are no cheat days.