Will Power

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jeepingirrl
jeepingirrl Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so aggravated with myself. My eating habits are HORRIBLE. Obviously, or I would not be looking to lose weight. Nearly 3 years ago I woke up and decided I was going to quit smoking. And I did. That very day....with no help from anything. Strictly will power. That was after smoking for 15+ years.

I WANT to lose weight....I do not want to be overweight anymore. So what is my problem? Why can I not have the same attitude and will power that I had when I decided to quit smoking? I have done weight watchers, gyms, personal trainers......I lose weight and then at some point stop and end up gaining it back. Every. Single. Time.

I am so frustrated.

Replies

  • masterjosue
    masterjosue Posts: 11 Member
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    This may not help at all, but it helped me. You can't look at it like a "diet", but instead, a lifestyle change. Be determined to not only eat healthy, but live a healthy life in general. Surround yourself with people that will help you reach your goals, not with people that will discourage or tempt you. Encourage others to do the same. Seeing others succeed will help you succeed as well.

    There is certainly more too it than this, but success depends on how you look at it. If you enjoy your diet & exercise routine, you'll be more likely to stick to it. If you hate running...don't run. Do something else that you enjoy...besides eating junk:)
  • anfernyy
    anfernyy Posts: 19
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    This may not help at all, but it helped me. You can't look at it like a "diet", but instead, a lifestyle change. Be determined to not only eat healthy, but live a healthy life in general. Surround yourself with people that will help you reach your goals, not with people that will discourage or tempt you. Encourage others to do the same. Seeing others succeed will help you succeed as well.

    There is certainly more too it than this, but success depends on how you look at it. If you enjoy your diet & exercise routine, you'll be more likely to stick to it. If you hate running...don't run. Do something else that you enjoy...besides eating junk:)

    well said my friend. another strategy you can use is to make a fitness collage of pictures. pictures of what you may want to look like to remind you of your goals so that you may stay on track
  • jeepingirrl
    jeepingirrl Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you for the advice! I would have to agree....whenever I think to myself "You can not have that, you are on a diet..." it makes me want it even more!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Thank you for the advice! I would have to agree....whenever I think to myself "You can not have that, you are on a diet..." it makes me want it even more!

    there is no such thing as bad food.... just people who eat badly!

    you can have a little of what you fancy and still lose weight.
  • MaggieSporleder
    MaggieSporleder Posts: 428 Member
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    This may not help at all, but it helped me. You can't look at it like a "diet", but instead, a lifestyle change. Be determined to not only eat healthy, but live a healthy life in general. Surround yourself with people that will help you reach your goals, not with people that will discourage or tempt you. Encourage others to do the same. Seeing others succeed will help you succeed as well.

    There is certainly more too it than this, but success depends on how you look at it. If you enjoy your diet & exercise routine, you'll be more likely to stick to it. If you hate running...don't run. Do something else that you enjoy...besides eating junk:)


    ^^ YES And the more you do it, say one week then two and so on. It will become your habit, and things will change. :)
  • dietstokes
    dietstokes Posts: 216 Member
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    The difference between quitting smoking and changing your eating habits is this: When you quit smoking, you cut out cigarets and never had to touch another on. When you quit eating junk, you still have to eat food. Food addictions or poor relationships with food are so hard to break because you always have to eat. You can't just stop it one day and never eat again, or you would die! Its for this same reason that people with eating disorders relapse so much, and why it take on average 7 years to overcome an eating disorder. Any other addiction, you can just quit. But we physically need food to keep on living.

    What I have found most helpful with diet changes is pre-planning everything, planning in a little wiggle room, planning on it taking a lot longer than you think it will take, and making a plan for what you will do when you fall off the horse. Everyone does at some point or another, so have a plan, whether its adding an extra few minutes to your work out each day for the week, or cutting back a little at your next meal (notice I only said a little here). You can do this! It doesn't matter if you fail 7 times, if you succeed on the 8th :)
  • kdkyzer
    kdkyzer Posts: 137 Member
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    Yep, it's a lifestyle change. Creating good habits that will replace bad habits. I agree with the 'wiggle room' and pre-planning mentioned by dietstokes, too!
  • exlaxref
    exlaxref Posts: 29 Member
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    For me, the beauty of this site is the food diary.

    Logging food and exercise religiously motivates me by showing me exactly how much cardio it takes to burn off that candy bar or God forbid, soda.

    Making that correlation might help you with your will power.
  • jellybeanmusic
    jellybeanmusic Posts: 161 Member
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    I guess what it comes down to is what you want more. Do you want to restrict your food choices (keeping in mind that this usually means portion size or frequency) and work out more? Or, do you want to eat whatever you want and remain overweight?

    Ultimately you can't have both. But, only you can decide which is the right option for you.

    I've spent a lot of time complaining about the fact that I couldn't be thin and eat whatever I wanted, looking for answers that didn't exist about how I could do both. But, if you want to lose weight, you either monitor what you do with the goal of consuming less calories than you burn, or you keep doing what you always did and get the same result.

    You may know your choices are bad, but they're your choices. Only you can change them.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I agree whole-heartedly with those who said to change your thinking.

    Transformation is not a future event, it is a present day activity.

    I don't deprive myself of foods - I make everything fit in to my daily target. I'm not perfect, never will be, never expect to be, but everyday I do my best to make at least one more healthy choice then I did the day before, to push myself a litlte bit harder in my exercises.

    Sure, there are days where I really just want to go through the drive thru/call the delivery place and go nuts, that is when I have to have will power the most - so I make healthier choices off those menus, or I push myself a little harder in my workout, but I never tell myself that I can't have it - what I can't have is a whole pizza, or 2 quarter pounders with cheese. I can have a slice or 2 of pizza with lots of veggies on top, or a grilled chicken sandwich from the drive thru. It's all about making it work.
  • attackhamster
    attackhamster Posts: 58 Member
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    Sure, there are days where I really just want to go through the drive thru/call the delivery place and go nuts, that is when I have to have will power the most - so I make healthier choices off those menus, or I push myself a little harder in my workout, but I never tell myself that I can't have it - what I can't have is a whole pizza, or 2 quarter pounders with cheese. I can have a slice or 2 of pizza with lots of veggies on top, or a grilled chicken sandwich from the drive thru. It's all about making it work.


    This is good advice! I'm a lifetime binge eater, and I know that if I deprive myself from all junk type foods, I'll just get frustrated and go on a binge and eat an entire box of Oreos or something insane like that. If I really want an Oreo, I work it into my plan for the day. I'll exercise enough to eat a few Oreos, but not a whole box.

    I'm working on learning how to eat like a normal person eats. Normal people don't eat a box of Oreos in one sitting. Normal people don't eat an entire pizza. I'm not on a diet, I'm changing the way I eat and my relationship with food for the rest of my life!
  • cuterbee
    cuterbee Posts: 545
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    Transformation is not a future event, it is a present day activity.

    Just wanted to reiterate this.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    If you actually mean that, even 5% - then you'd read this.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

    you're welcome.

    If you DONT mean what you just announced, you will bypass my comment and be like lol words - pass!
  • stljam
    stljam Posts: 512 Member
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    Along the lifestyle change lines, you might consider something like this...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/477666-eating-for-future-you-method
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
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    This is a great article on willpower: http://www.builtlean.com/2012/10/15/willpower/

    That entire website is pretty great actually!
  • amandainez08
    amandainez08 Posts: 87 Member
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    Thank you for the advice! I would have to agree....whenever I think to myself "You can not have that, you are on a diet..." it makes me want it even more!

    I have this same problem. Cheesecake...I LOVE cheesecake! But I don't distance myself from cheesecake. If I decide to have a piece, I either plan for it and have a lighter breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or I exercise a tad bit more than day to allow myself to have those extra calories. Personally, I cannot live a healthy lifestyle every day. I love going out to eat. So, what I do is I make sure I get in a good burn on the day I go out for dinner. I may still go over my calorie goal, but at the same time, I'm still not depriving myself of the foods I love!
  • DorkothyParker
    DorkothyParker Posts: 618 Member
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    I try to avoid needing will power by making smart choices at the super market. I don't drive, so I know if I REALLY want ice cream, I'm walking 10 minutes each way to get it. Hint: Eat a full meat before going to the store as well.

    Also, I try to transfer any excess money into my savings after bills/grocery shopping so I feel like I can't afford that $5 coffee because "hey, there is only $14 in checking and has Netflix come out yet this month?"

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