Why do we "go off" our plans? Brain chemistry!

Why do we go off-program when we know better?

Why do we allow temptation to derail us?

Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, describes the battles in our brains, in an experiment that may help us understand why we choose things that aren't always best for us.

It seems that two centers of your brain duke it out whenever you are are faced with a choice: pleasure-seeking vs. cost avoidance.

On the one hand, you are attracted to the pleasurable aspects of a particular action. On the other hand, you seek to avoid the pain ('cost') of that action. Which side wins? Well, that depends, in part, on which side sends the strongest signal, and your relative sensitivity to each signal.

Dr. Michael R. Eades (the Protein Power author) ties the experiment to dieting and lifestyle change. Dr. Eades describes, in Low-carb battles in your brain, how the battle can affect us in our efforts to lose weight.