Will Power?

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  • crazykatlady820
    crazykatlady820 Posts: 301 Member
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    @JaydedMiss You're so right! It isn't silly at all. I think I just meant it's silly of me to have not looked at it in that light before. I really like the way you worded it... about shifting the power away from some external non-existent. Will power and motivation are things I just can't afford to wait on anymore, so I have taken it upon myself to make the changes and do the work. This is the first time I've ever felt like holy crap I am going to succeed.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    crazykatlady820 wrote: »
    I've made a simple word swap. Instead of will power I say self-discipline. It's so silly, but looking at it in that light helps me remember that self-discipline is up to me and I either do it or I don't... no waiting around on the ever elusive will power to show up.

    This is what i tell people. Will power/motivation is fleeting and more often thn not its used as an excuse. And it takes away both the responsibility and the reward. When people say wow you have such motivation i get internally offended. It hasnt been motivation that lost me 110 pounds, Thank you. Its been my determination. Its been me going for that walk even when "motivation' hasnt been there. Its been me doing it anyway and building the habits. If i relied on this "motivation thing" Id of failed long ago. Find the force in yourself, Dont look externally. People who succeed have worked to build the habits while motivated, And lean on their determination to keep things rolling on their new habits.

    Taking the power away from some external non existent and therefore unreliable force and shifting it internally onto yourself isnt silly at all, Its empowering. Yes sometimes it sucks but sometimes its also wonderful- This way you get to pat yourself on the back for every good choice you make and learn from every bad choice vs just putting it off on motivation

    all of this. im 100 pounds down and its a constant desire to do better, to be better. sure we all have days that are better or worse, but in the end, it is up to ME whether or not I succeed. i dont keep foods in the house that are too much temptation for me. I work in a bit of chocolate most days. I went and signed up at the local gym (we bought a new house over the summer). all of this, is up to me, and me alone. change your habits, change your life.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    crazykatlady820 wrote: »
    @JaydedMiss You're so right! It isn't silly at all. I think I just meant it's silly of me to have not looked at it in that light before. I really like the way you worded it... about shifting the power away from some external non-existent. Will power and motivation are things I just can't afford to wait on anymore, so I have taken it upon myself to make the changes and do the work. This is the first time I've ever felt like holy crap I am going to succeed.

    So great to hear others realize just how powerful they are. As someone who struggled for years as a depressed lump of a human, And worked REALLY hard to shift my mindset, Its really really nice to finally feel powerful and in control of my own life. Great to see others picking up the power to. Honestly makes things so much easier in life and more enjoyable. I like being able to feel good about myself, Not motivation :p
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Here's another "word swap" that works for me. I've always been heavy, very heavy and I did that by eating too much, sometimes much too much. My current eating amount is my new normal. It takes some juggling to eat within my calorie restrictions. That's where logging comes in. Instead of eating a snack of unlimited bread and butter I'll eat an equally satisfying snack that I've weighed out so I know exactly how many calories my snack contains. Last week I thoroughly enjoyed a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips -- not as one uncontrolled snack of most of the bag but as several measured and logged snacks over a few days. Eating them in a controlled way meant there was no guilt attached. I even had three servings one day but since they were measured and logged, no harm no foul.

    Every once in awhile I eat with reckless abandon. It's not scheduled. It's a choice I make on occasion.
  • NicoleMckenzie2017
    NicoleMckenzie2017 Posts: 141 Member
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    Hey girl- I relate to you on so many levels! I am 5 foot 8 and I was very thin my whole life up until about a year and a half ago I started putting on the pounds. at my lightest I weighed 130 and at my heaviest I weighed 190. In the past month I've lost 12 pounds by doing a 1200 cal intake and hitting the gym about twice a week. I also am getting married in four months- so I understand more than anything the want to get down to a certain size! I feel like for me, the motivation is in knowing I am in absolute control over what I put into my body. Before MFP I was a huge fast food junkie because it was easy.. but since counting calories that's the one thing I stay away from due to the high density of calories. I think also just seeing over time that the clothes get looser, your energy goes up, and you are chipping away to your goal is all very motivating to me. But I think my wedding lit the fire under my behind more than anything. The great news is you're not far off from your goal weight at all! :) My only advice would be to count every calorie and be honest with what your intake is- and you'll shed the little excess weight in no time. Good luck to you!!
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
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    Honestly, I try not to label anything "bad" because I think that leads to thinking about them the wrong way. If I want a certain food I think about whether I it will be worth trying to fit it into my calories. Sometimes I do a bit more exercise to make it fit and it's absolutely worth it. (Or, in the case of a special occasion I just eat at maintenance that day.) Other times I would have to go hungry to fit it in and it's just not worth it. It's important to me not to absolutely exclude anything because this is a long term change and I need to not feel deprived because I end up binging. That said, I do tend to eat far less of some things now because they're not worth the calorie count to me.
  • BBum69
    BBum69 Posts: 35 Member
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    Forget about "will power", and moderation is for birds. Find and/or learn to make healthier food that you would rather eat. Then eat as much as you want. Master the spice rack, learn different cooking techniques, try things from the produce section that you've never seen before. Try different brands of healthier foods, you will like some better than others, and you aren't eating junk while you find out.
  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
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    crazykatlady820 wrote: »
    I've made a simple word swap. Instead of will power I say self-discipline. It's so silly, but looking at it in that light helps me remember that self-discipline is up to me and I either do it or I don't... no waiting around on the ever elusive will power to show up.

    This is exactly right. It comes down to discipline, plain and simple.

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