Willpower??

fitforlife34

I work in a tobacco cessation program to help people quit smoking, and everyday one thing people say when evaluating them after 6 monhts is "I haven't quit. Mainly you have to want to quit, and have the willpower in order to fully do it."

This is the same as losing weight. If you don't really want to do it, or are fully motivated you wont' lose weight. I really want to lose weight (and I was in NOvember, lost 7lbs) but now I gained them back and more. I was doing it the good way: eating healthy and working out. I know next week I'll get back on it.

One thing for me is having willpower. I'm the kind of person who can eat even when I'm not that hungry. I overeat, and especially with carbs. Unless I tell my mind I'm hungry I will keep eating. It's pretty bad. And since getting my car in Feb I haven't been walking as much. I have a gym I pay for monthly that I go to like once a week or less.

I know tecniques such as "mindful eating" etc. but does anyone have any tips for someone like me? Who lacks willpower, and overeats, and the idea of eating vegetables and fish/or chicken sounds much less appearling than a hamburger or burrito etc??

xHelloQuincyx

unfortunatly i dont have much advice on this. but i can totally understand what you mean when you say you need to want it. i have tried for three years to get back to the weight i was in highschool. finally something clicked this year, and i just wanted it bad. i havent even had a slip up since i started, just enjoyed in moderation. its like a miracle seriously i went from binge eating to restricting for around a year just trying to control myself. combine that with on and off again working out and i was one frustrated cookie. i just want it that bad. i looked in the mirror and was disgusted. i coouldnt keep up with the kids i worked with, and my confidence was so low i couldnt look at people in the eyes. i just had to do it for me, and later wasnt an option. unfortunatly i have to quit smoking too. but i dont want to wait untill i want that bad enough... :grumble:

Gr8ChangesAhead

:embarassed: No but when you find my missing willpower please send it back...

AmberCHM

You're absolutely right. If you aren't motivated, you're most likely not going to stick with it. You need to find your motivator. I've dieted off and on for 10ish years. I always gave up until now. I found my motivator (as silly as it was, I'm just glad it worked...I blog about it here if you want to read. Warning, it's long! http://craftyhealthymommy.blogspot.com/2012/05/losing-it.html ), started MFP June 1st of last year and never looked back. A good motivation will help with your willpower. You'll start to think differently, more long term than in the moment. "Do I want this yummy, greasy food or do I want to lose this weight?" So my advice is to find the one thing that motivates you! When you find it, keep it visible. If it's somebody (as mine was) be a creeper and print out a few pictures of them to post around your house If it's a dress, do the same...print pictures of it and put one on the fridge, one on the bathroom mirror...places you know you'll see it. Also, I think it's important to set goals and rewards! I'm not sure how much you want to lose, but break it down. I wanted to lose 60 lbs to start with so I decided I would get my first tattoo when I hit my half way mark and another prize when I hit that 60! I have a friend who broke it down even more than that. Maybe every 10-20 lbs? This is hard work, so reward yourself when you do well. Maybe a new purse at 15, a new outfit at 30 lbs, a new pair of shoes, sky diving or something you've always wanted to do.... You do have to have discipline, but that will come much easier with a good motivator and some prizes to look forward to

tat2dmrsgrimm

Me me me! I do not deprive myself of what I want, I either eat less of it or try to find a healthier alternative.

I made the mistake of posting that I will eat what I want when I want and it has turned into an all out brawl that has somehow managed to not get moderated. I am about to report it myself just to make it go away.

I was frustrated by someone telling me that a Fresh Hot, straight off the line Krispy Kreme donut was in no way worth the calories. So I didn't completely think through my original post and people haven't bothered to read any of my responses. They just read the original post and rip my head off.

I have some sort of treat every day. But I balance it with healthy things. I eat a banana every morning with breakfast. I have a salad or some other veggies with my lunch. I have more fruits and veggies as snacks throughout the day. And I am fighting tooth and nail to fight my food addiction every step of the way. If I have a little treat, a fudgecicle, or a small candy bar I indulge my sweet tooth, but I don't go overboard. If I KNOW I am going to have fried food, or go for donuts, I try to plan my who day accordingly. It usually works, but not always.

We had pizza for lunch last week. I planned two slices and a big salad. Then chaos ensued. I had to take hubby to work (he works midnights in the Emergency Room) He needed to have fasting bloodwork done and so did not eat before I took him to work. So we stopped and had Rally's for dinner. I ate my burger and a few fries and most of my milkshake. I was quite ill. Next time I will skip the fries. The milkshake was way better. I managed to squeak in at like 10 calories over for the day. My daily goal is to be within 250 of my max. If I hit my max, that is ok. I don't fret. If I go over, I look at what I did and try not to do it again. The key is moderation. A lot of people scream from the hilltops "NO! YOU MUST GIVE UP ALL UNHEALTHY FOODS!!!"

For me, that doesn't work. The key for me personally is reteaching myself how to manage what I eat. How to be in control and not let the food control me. On a side note, I am a former smoker. Quit 8 years ago, cold turkey when I was pregnant for my son. No withdrawal symptoms, no jitters, no headaches. Smoked one or two since then. They made me SICK!

I learned the hard way about a week ago that after a month of eating less junk, a binge of cookies and candy leads to a VERY upset stomach the next morning. Sorry this is so long and rambling. Hope it makes sense.

FretheMJsmokingcannibal

I'd suggest making a goal sheet for yourself other than losing weight. Think of an accomplish-able goal that you are definitively willing to do. Tell yourself out loud that you can do it when exercising and look for examples of ways to keep weight off to try out and modify as needed. When the thing your doing fits you, it's easier to stick to it. (of course make sure the method your using is effective and has more positives to the negative.)

Another way to develop or return your will power is sleep. 9 hrs baby. Even an adult needs it. When you are tired out of your mind, you cannot push your self. It takes reluctance to do anything. Plus sleep clears your mind.


Here's an example of a method when it comes to the issue of feeling snack-y
It's something a friend's parent did because he had weight issues and wanted to join the Marines.
He ate healthy and ate the amount of calories required but he would get snack-y . He would exercise to curb off the hunger, Not only did kill off the snack-y feeling, it allowed his body to digest off his meal so that after he went to bed instead of having food in his stomach being broken down. His stomach broke down fat.
I kind of modified it so that I can meet my calorie goal.
What I do is I semi-exercise between breakfast and lunch. Eat a fulfilling Snack a little between lunch and dinner. Exercise and keep myself busy after dinner.

tracypk

Another way to develop or return your will power is sleep. 9 hrs baby. Even an adult needs it. When you are tired out of your mind, you cannot push your self. It takes reluctance to do anything. Plus sleep clears your mind.

I second this. Just the other day I couldn't figure out why I was so hungry and grumpy. I went to bed very early and felt like a whole new person the next day. I had been only sleeping 6 hours a night for a few weeks and it took it's toll. Once i got a good long night of sleep my hunger for junk subsided and my mood improved immensely. Also, I agree with finding a motivator. I have yet to find one but in the past I have had some and they kept me going for longer than I could have without it.

ZugTheMegasaurus

For me, it was a matter of being honest about what the food did to me. I finally realized that being fat made me sad and upset. Every time I thought of the future, none of the images included me being overweight. The habits I was practicing were actually causing my problems; once I realized that, they stopped being appealing (and they were never really what I wanted in the first place, just sort of my default).

Also, just because you mention burgers and burritos, I'll say that you don't have to stop eating those things. I actually eat more of those than I did before I changed my diet. For a burrito (or soft taco, depending on how nitpicky you want to be), I'll have a couple ounces of chicken breast, avocado, and fresh salsa with a small tortilla; if I'm in the mood, I might throw some onions and garlic in a pan to add, or other times put in some sour cream or olives. I can control all the ingredients and make it healthy, tasty, and different every time. Same with burgers; if you make them yourself, they don't have to be bad for you. As to food generally, lots of seasonings have no calories (though be careful of sodium). Healthy =/= bland!

yustick

I don't know if this will make sense, but the longer you eat clean, whole foods and drink water, the less attractive the heavy foods become. I've only been at this since Feb 13th, but it seems that every time I eat pizza now it is less fulfilling now. When I drink pop and mostly eat things like pizza and burritos and I mean the heavy greasy kind, I can't really enjoy fruits and vegetables. But now, I crave them. Sometimes, I eat a grape tomatoe or blackberry and hold it in my mouth to savor the flavor.

Drastiic

It takes around 21 days to make something a habit.

If you miss a day, just keep going until you've been doing the new behavior for 21 days in a row.

tashaa1992

I'm not trying to patronise you or anything so I hope you don't read it that way, but you don't need to deny yourself of the things you enjoy to lose weight. People diet and during their diet they deny themselves what they really want and they 'give up' the diet and give in, I don't really see the point in the diet in the first place, it's unnecessary. As I'm sure you've heard before, moderation is key.
Is this long term or just a quick fix? If you haven't guessed already, I don't believe in diets, you go on one then come off one then go back on it again because you've gained the weight back. I eat pretty clean but I'm not going to lie, I do like my treats so I work for them, if I want something I will work out for it to earn it all, if I don't I don't allow myself it, I think it's a great motivator to exercise aswell. I think you get what I'm trying to say now, so yeah good luck, take care xxx