Okay, the third thing to keep in mind about that hard wiring that might be keeping you trapped is that this is more than just a habit. The pleasure traps that keep you stuck are deeply rooted in anticipation, which is even more powerful than the cons conservatory pleasure that I've already described. This is called anticipatory pleasure, and it actually makes a whole lot of sense. Having something to look forward to gets us through the tougher times. Despite your ongoing quest to live in the present, it's actually beneficial to have something to live for in the future. We can always find the motivation and the persistence to tackle any challenge or to get through any hardship when we know there's a treat that's waiting for us at the end.

Anticipatory pleasure is actually a good thing. It makes sense and we all use it, and anticipating pleasure can actually be more enjoyable than the event itself, the consumption. By delaying good things, we increase the happiness. Your pleasure hormones actually start to increase in your brain just thinking about the pleasure that's about to happen. It's why you might start to notice your mouth watering it, just the sight of brownies or maybe a juicy hamburger. Just the anticipation of pleasure alone is a valuable but incredibly powerful emotion. It can allow us to gain pleasure from something in the near future, even before we consume it. But the hard wiring of anticipatory pleasure can also be the start of what gets you off track, and then it can cascade into ongoing thoughts about pleasure. If you've seen my previous videos, I talk about your thoughts, those automatic negative thoughts or what I call ants and how they drive the entire system of cravings and emotional eating. 

We often think that we need more willpower to overcome cravings, but all it takes is one little hardwired habitual thought about the hard day that you're having. Then your mind likes to just fondle that thought and ruminate about all the other bad things that are happening in your day in your life. I call that an ant infestation. The thoughts fill your brain just like ants that pile up on the counter the minute that they scan and they spot one molecule of food, usually sweet food, before you know it, there's a frenzy on your counter, and that whole ant farm is just scanning for the source of pleasure and anticipating what they're lining up to get sound familiar. Your brain is the same way. All it takes is one automatic negative thought that ant and your brain starts looking for an anticipating pleasure. We can anticipate an exciting new job, a date night or a happy hour, maybe a well-earned summer vacation or even a fun or restful three day weekend. 

Anticipation is delicious and exciting, and unlike happiness or fulfillment, it's a quick and easy one to generate. You don't need to do anything except look forward to the pleasure and anticipated, but that can be dangerous too because it means your brain constantly thinks about plans for, looks for and enjoys thinking about pleasure. Anticipatory pleasure is a powerful emotion, but it often goes unnoticed as it runs in the background of your busy day and in your brain as a successful midlife woman. Yet the anticipation grows more powerful throughout the day in your subconscious mind so that those afternoon cravings can be irresistible and significantly stronger than your willpower. So if you notice that you celebrate with food, have late afternoon cravings where you reach for a pick me up. Maybe you need to have wine or cocktails at social events. Dive into a pint of ice cream after dinner. When the day is behind you, well then you might just be falling into the pleasure trap, and chances are that anticipatory pleasure was driving the system for hours, days, or maybe even weeks ahead of time.

So even if you eat healthy and stay on track all week by omitting or minimizing sugar during the week, if celebratory weekend food, Saturday afternoon treats, weekend cocktails, or late Saturday night ice cream is consistently added to your diet, your brain and body will be stuck with anticipation of sugar cravings and emotional eating to escape the habitual sugar craving cycle that's rooted in your hard wiring. You need a plan that works for your goals, your tastes, and your lifestyle, which means you need to notice your triggers and then figure out how to incorporate things you love in a way that helps you stick to your plan and still lose weight and to lose weight permanently. You need support to conquer the thoughts and the unconscious anticipation of pleasure because this hard wiring for cravings and for anticipatory and cons conservatory pleasure are stronger than your willpower.