Too Many Choices!

The other day I was channel surfing with my Dish Network remote, and I noticed something odd. About eight weeks ago, I upgraded my programming to include HBO, Showtime, and the 200 channel package, and I found myself unable to watch a full show. I’d watch a few minutes of a movie, and then I’d switch over to another movie. I couldn’t commit to watching any one show, because I had TOO MANY choices. This made me think about food choices, especially buffets. We seem to think that if we pay for something, like our cable programming, we feel somewhat cheated if we don’t use what we pay for, or in the case of buffets, we feel cheated if we don’t load up our plates with a little bit of everything.

A study was done a while back that proved this point. College students were asked to pick an investment, and then they were asked to rate how they felt about their choice. When the number of investment choices was limited, not only was the decision to pick an investment made quicker, but the satisfaction with that choice was greater. But when the number of investments choices was increased, the time to decide also increased, which makes sense, but the satisfaction with the final choice plummeted! Too many choices wreak havoc with our confidence levels and in some cases will trigger greed. There is apparently a point where we move from feeling satisfied to wanting it all, a tipping point if you will.

Could that be the case with our food intake? Do too many choices lead to “wanting it all”? I’m thinking it does. Quite some time ago, I “eliminated” a lot of food choices for me. I eat very few, if any, processed foods, and do I not eat at fast food establishments – with one exception. I like the crunchy tacos at Taco Bell, but I’ll only eat one or two, and nothing else. With fewer choices, I feel satisfied, and my confidence about my food choices is strong.

This week, eliminate a few of your food choices permanently, and see how your feelings change with respect to what you decide to keep. Might be an interesting way to learn to like broccoli, eh?

As for my journey, the progress is slow but sure. I reached 149. Although that’s less than a pound a week, I’m okay with that, because I KNOW I will achieve my ideal weight. AND I canceled HBO and Showtime and downgraded to the minimum cable package. Managing too many choices was too stressful for me.