Last week, I wrote about our biological imperative to EAT ALL THE FIGS because though it may be the 21st century, we have the same biology as our cave ancestors. Evolution is just too damn slow to keep pace with humanity!

Then I examined the reason diets fail. Most diets are based on willpower and self-control. They ignore our basic biological imperative to EAT ALL THE FIGS. These diets in turn fuel toxic beliefs about our self-worth, leading to shame. I don’t know about you, but when I feel shame about my body and weight, I just end up eating more food, which creates more shame, which leads to more mindless eating, in a vicious loop…

But what does all this mean? Am I doomed to be overweight forever? Hell no!

I’d like to introduce you to my friend neuroplasticity. (Try saying that three times fast!)

Neuroplasticity is our brain’s ability to lay down new neural pathways. Translation: our brain’s are incredibly flexible. Humans have a breathtaking capacity to grow and change.

Thanks to neuroplasticity, I can change my relationship with food. Lately, when I feel tempted by a sugary sweet, I hit the Pause button and think, I feel that cavewoman instinct to eat all the figs, but I’m a 21st century bad ass. I get to consciously and intentionally choose the foods I eat.

Believe it or not, this actually helps. I can feel the siren call of sweets slowly but surely fading. I can’t snap my fingers and change my cavewoman programming overnight. But with time and consistency, I think I can.

I’ve changed my brain before, most notably when I was recovering from postpartum depression in 2013. I had debilitating anxiety and worked with a psychologist to change my thought patterns. Through therapy and journaling, I rewired my brain. Now I am a much less anxious person.

Now I am using psychology to rewire my brain’s relationship with food. Instead of a psychologist, I am working with the Noom app. I do not want to call Noom a diet. Yes, it’s teaching me how to lose weight and includes food logging. But it’s also teaching me how to work with my feelings, set goals, and build social support.

Other diets commanded, “Eat this, not that,” and then just expected me to follow the rules. Those diets basically tossed me into shark-infested waters and shouted, “Good luck!” Not Noom. Noom is helping me build a toolkit for a lifetime of healthy eating. I can’t begin to distill it’s lessons into a single blog post!

Here’s the weird thing: I have not lost much weight since starting Noom, but I am still convinced this app is changing me for the better. I look back at the past twelve months, and I see incredible personal growth. I have a much healthier relationship with food and my body than I did twelve months ago. I still have plenty to learn (and plenty of weight to lose) but I am optimistic that I will with the tools Noom is giving me.

It’s not about will power or self control. That might work for some people, but it does not work for me. I felt a lot of shame about that in the past, but I am working to release that shame. I am working with Noom to rewire my cavewoman brain.

With a little psychology, I can upgrade my biology.