Willpower.

I can't offer you any advice because I struggle with my willpower as well. The situation you described sounds so much like me it's uncanny.

I've asked lots of people the question - can you obtain willpower or is it inherent? It's hard to get a straight answer, but I think it's something you need to build slowly and it will get easier with time.

What I've been trying is to give myself little 'awards' or 'pats-on-the-back' for saying no to something I usually have a hard time resisting. It feels really good. I have a visual motivator on my fridge door so I can see when I have small successes and small set-backs. I'm always looking for new ways to increase my willpower.

I don't know if this will help or not, but here's something that has worked for me.

I have chosen one food a month to cut out of my diet - permanently. I focus on that one food for the month - but don't add back in any of the old ones. I began with things that I don't even particularly like, but find myself eating. This is a clue to me that I am eating for social reasons, or mood reasons...etc. Here are a few that I began with. I need to get back in the habit and add some more!

Donuts
Birthday Cake
Corndogs
Little Debbie Dessert Cakes

If I do this, does it man I can't have any more birthdays? I don't know if that's good or bad, but I'm NOT going the rest of my life without those things. That's a life not worth living.

Corndogs? That's Fair Food. There's no calories in Fair Food!! You eat it standing up!

get it back.
such a strong word
use the POWER!

I have pictures of really FIT women I am motivated by pasted here and there, and I made a list of the "WHY I WANT THIS" and put it on the fridge and the wall beside my computer.

It says:............................................................

REMEMBER what this is for!

• To FEEL better

• To LOOK better

• For MY HEALTH

• For MY FAMILY

• Class reunion

• SUMMER IS COMING!!






I want to:


• LIKE my legs.

• LIKE my back.

• get the butt back that I had when I was 30.

• have ABS!

• get RID OF the “love handles”

• turn my arms into GUNS!!


..............................................................................................................
I made it 2 columns with special font and VERY COLORFUL so I like to look at it and it stands out.

Hope this helps!!

Eat the cake, log it, and eat well the rest of the day? I don't eliminate anything, because I love food! I just try to keep within my range, and if I go a little over don't beat myself up and start fresh the next day.

There's a point now and again where I am faced with something I could easily scoff down.
But I want my new lifestyle and the joy it brings MORE than whatever momentary pleasure is in front of me.
You need to want to do this more than you want to binge on that piece of cake.
Being on track and seeing the changes makes you much more happier in the long run.
Don't sacrifice what you want the most for what you want right now

I made this post a week ago and it's helped a lot of people get back on track. (I don't get paid for it, it's a personal blog, don't report me)

http://journey2competition.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/discipline/

Planning my splurges/cheats in advance has really helped with my willpower. I'm able to keep myself in check the rest of the week knowing that once I get to that particular day, I'll be able to enjoy whatever it is I've planned to have with zero guilt.

log it, log it, log it! i found that being truly honest with myself and logging every single thing i ate really made me realize the choices i made. i also used to show it to my husband because he researched all this healthy eating stuff. i wanted to make him proud of the choices i started making... and then i realized the choices were DELICIOUS!

i used to have a slice or two of cake, an handful of cookies, and whatever else was out for dessert at parties. i used to have at least two servings of whatever appetizers were put out. now, i choose ONE cake or 'main' dessert to have a SMALL serving of (slice of pie or cake, a scoop of ice cream, etc.) and two cookies if they're not too big. and i always take a bit of fruit now. for appetizers, i take a small bit of everything i want: 6 or 7 small pretzels, two pieces of bruschetta, three or four pieces of pumpernickel bread and a scoop of spinach dip. i fill the rest of my app plate with celery sticks, carrots, tomatoes, whatever veggies are out, and one spoonful of dip (unless it's hummus, then i take more!). this way i can still have everything i want, just smaller bits. it started out challenging - i had to choose what i wanted more. but now i realize i don't even WANT more food than what i take. and i feel proud that i have the willpower that i never used to have.

i think that's what it's about - feeling good about yourself. am i still heavy? yes. i'm still REALLY heavy. but i'm making excellent choices without depriving myself and am already healthier than i used to be. and now it's so much easier to keep making even healthier choices!

Thank you everyone for your posts. I just logged on to find some motivation and encouragement - I've had no willlpower the last month or so. Only logged food every few days if I remembered... Also eating heaps of junk and feeling flat and sluggish... Still exercising so keep eating all those cals as well (and then some). Some of you have been on such a big journey that I suddenly realise I have no excuse to be to slack! I'll start today - not tomorrow. Thanks!