Help! I lack willpower. Any tips

ladyjbc
ladyjbc Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi
I have been trying to lose a 1.5 stone but find it impossible. I manage to do a couple of days sometimes even a week and then I lack the will power to carry on. Does anyone have any tips on how to overcome this? I'm getting desperate.
Thanks

Replies

  • Adderly619
    Adderly619 Posts: 21
    Well willpower is something you dictate on your own, it all starts to why is your motivation of losing weight in the first place. Use that to keep pushing yourself forward, as for losing 1.5 stone, I would have a suggestion on how you lose about .75 stone(10.5lbs), if you are interested. I actually finished said diet today.
  • itsadogslife
    itsadogslife Posts: 209
    Hey I feel you, I get like that sometimes. Its been a struggle over the years, but the last year my periods of being on track have been longer than off track.. I've only fallen off the wagon for 2 months, twice, throughout the year. I find its just a mental turning point, and picking activities and foods you feel you can truly stick with.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
    it's not willpower, it's self discipline. make it habitual.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Willpower is like a muscle...the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Practice, practice, practice.
  • VodkaSalad37
    VodkaSalad37 Posts: 66 Member
    I feel you, and I wish you the best of luck. When I was really active on this site, I lost about 20 pounds, which felt great... Then I didn't log in for over a year and how I'm at my heaviest weight -- 15 pounds more than my prior start weight (+35 pounds from my lowest in 10 years).

    It really helps to track EVERYTHING. I took the dog on her last walk before bed just now... I was only out there for 5 minutes walking up and down the street several times- still, I tracked it: 19 calories.

    It adds up. Everything counts. You'll start to see trends and it'll become motivational. Again, I wish you all the luck in the world! I know you'll do fantastic.
  • ladyjbc
    ladyjbc Posts: 2
    Thank you all for your replies. I will be using the tips and get motivated again and discipline myself to do it.
  • LouiseChe
    LouiseChe Posts: 24 Member
    Honestly, the longer you stick with it, the easier it gets. Push through the hard start and you will notice it getting easier. Plan your meals in advance. I often plan them the night before and then I have no decisions to make during the day. Sometimes things crop up, but for the most part it works really well.

    I used to have terrible willpower, but now I'm pretty good. I stick to it because it really works. However, if you give up, you don't see the benefits and therefore don't have the motivation to continue. I had never stuck to any kind of 'diet' but logging and tracking has become a habit and it feels natural now.

    Push through it! Feel free to add me if you like. All the best to you.
  • darkhunters1983
    darkhunters1983 Posts: 83
    They say it takes 3 weeks to form a habit .. push through and you will see amazing results the trick is to not cut everything out of your diet but have smaller portions and make sure you track everything .. this is not a diet but more a change in lifestyle.. be strong
  • GabriellaMaria
    GabriellaMaria Posts: 150 Member
    i feel your pain... its so hard when the willpower button needs to be switched on...am the same, except i need to lose about 3-4 stone
    i feel that maybe its more about ramping up the excercise??
    i am happy to add you if you want to??:smile: ...
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    Are you trying to diet too hard what calories are you allowing yourself?
  • LizN63
    LizN63 Posts: 129 Member
    Make sure your calorie goal is realistic, and try to eat lots of protein and stay hydrated. Perhaps this will help with feeling full.

    Personally I find the 5:2 way of eating much easier than always hitting a lower calorie goal. Somehow it's easier for me just to be more strict for 2 days a week then relax!
  • buzz3d269
    buzz3d269 Posts: 87 Member
    Like someone else mentioned, I find pre-planning days works well.

    I have very little willpower. But I know I want to loose this weight, so I'm sticking to the goals. By (roughly) pre logging my day of a morning (when I'm not so hungry!), I know as I go through the day that if I stick to the plan, I will have a little left over so I can have a special treat :)

    I'm still new to it all (just over a month of logging), but it's working so far, so I say go for it!
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    Well willpower is something you dictate on your own, it all starts to why is your motivation of losing weight in the first place. Use that to keep pushing yourself forward, as for losing 1.5 stone, I would have a suggestion on how you lose about .75 stone(10.5lbs), if you are interested. I actually finished said diet today.

    This sounds like an intro to a magic diet pill sales pitch...just sayin.

    Anyway, back to the OP. There's a saying that goes round on these boards that's something like: Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.

    Instead of "motivation" and "willpower", which are very fickle things and largely depend on emotions, these days I think about my decisions. Everything I do is my decision, because I am an adult and can do what I like. If I "can't" lose weight, then it's not because it is physically impossible, it's because I chose not to do it. I chose to eat that cake. I chose to drink those 8 pints of cider. I chose not to go for a run. I chose to sit on the sofa all weekend instead of going out and being active.

    So it's no-one else's fault but mine if I don't achieve the goals I set for myself. Tough words, but barring any medical conditions, very true! If you really want to achieve something, then you have to take responsibility for your actions and choose to do it.
  • unclehofitness
    unclehofitness Posts: 31
    I firmly believe in will power enhancing substances, take nootropics for example, alpha GPC...... aniracetam they basically help your body produce acetyl-choline which passes through the blood/brain barrier and connects your neurons inside your brains when about to engage in either physical activity or intense mental activity such as studying or sitting an exam.

    use recommended dosage only do not exceed.

    I use Phophitydl choline because not only do I get a boost in will power, but I also get my fat / lipid structure broken down and moved around ready to be burnt off when I engage in my High Intensity Interval Training.

    Method of how you exercise plays a big role, maximize efficiency and effectiveness meaning, shorter workouts that burn more calories during and after the work outs.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I wonder if you can take a longer term view. You want to be, was it, 21 lb lighter. The benefits to you of being lighter are, may be, to move more easily, fit back into clothes you really enjoy, or simply just to feel better in yourself. So if you stay with having smaller normal, or more "healthy" meals more often it will happen for you. Add in move more, stand rather than sit it all adds up. I would not expect to do this quickly, go for 1 lb a week making it a 6 month task because the nearer you get to where you want to be you may only manage part of a lb a week.

    Consider this, if you stick with it now, you will be where you want to be by Christmas, (the convenient peg), if you don't you will still be wanting.............

    Loosing weight is not easy it take perseverance, it helps most of all if your internal systems are working properly too. We all think they are but being sure can be helpful.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,472 Member
    Something that worked for me when I started was using the "No S Diet" (you don't need to buy the book, you can google it). To start with, I just found it easier to stick to strict rules, such as not eating between meals. I didn't calorie count to start with, but I did lose weight, and that inspired me to keep going.

    I still stick to the basic principles (I try not to eat between meals), and some of it has just become habit. At work people know that I don't eat between meals, so they don't usually offer me biscuits and cakes - when they do, I've found that refusing has become automatic!

    The other thing that helped me was never eating too little. I always had quite a small deficit and had very slow, steady weight loss. I think it's easier to stick to with a smaller deficit.

    Another thing, and I hate to say this, is not having certain foods in the house. I like to think that I've got it all under control, and it's fine to have a little bit of what you fancy, but there are certain "danger" foods that I'm better not to be around :). I also don't drink as much alcohol as I used to, partly because of the calories, but also because just one glass seems to make me crave salty foods along with lowering my resolve!

    Good luck! :)
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    It sounds like if you're finding it that hard you're making too drastic a change to your lifestyle. I think most people will agree that you don't need to starve to make changes.
  • cniemann26
    cniemann26 Posts: 49
    Start with changes you are comfortable with if you are having difficulty being really strict, sometimes the smallest changes can lead to bigger steps in your dieting/lifestyle change. After the first week it gets so much easier, you feel better about yourself for being healthier, and more accomplished! Good luck!
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    Anyone who tells you to take some pills to increase willpower - please ignore them.

    As for the issue at hand - my guess is you are fighting your diet. You have chosen a diet that is either too low in calories, or it is needlessly restrictive (i.e. No sugar, low carb, "clean", etc...)

    The biggest help for me was to find a way to eat, and exercise that was easy enough to follow - that willpower wasn't the determining factor of my success.

    Alan Aragon sums it up well...

    "Honoring personal preference is one of the most powerful yet underrated tactics for achieving optimal health and body composition"
  • kirili3
    kirili3 Posts: 244 Member
    Figure out what you really, really want.

    For me, it's not weight loss. I want to achieve other things, for which weight loss will help me. I was relying on bingeing as a crutch because I didn't want to think about what I hadn't achieved or what I wanted to do that really means a lot to me.

    Another idea is to develop good habits. Log everything, eat at set times, try to get in lots of water and veggies.
  • HaibaneReki
    HaibaneReki Posts: 373 Member
    don't want to sound needlessly rough, but if You're "so desperate" that You come here for motivation You're not really desperate yet. :embarassed: When I started I was so desperate that the "I have nothing to lose except fat" attitude helped me through the start before logging calories became part of the eating itself (log immediately after/during the meal).

    I wish You all the best, friend me if You want some more harsh motivation :bigsmile:
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Have you tried logging your meals in advance? Decide at the start of the day, or even the start of the week, what breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be, with an eye toward getting sufficient proteins, fats, and fiber, as those are the macronutrients with the greatest general impact on satiety. If your snacks are your downfall, plan those ahead of time, too.

    Don't demonize particular foods, as it often leads to self-hate and spiraling negative eating behaviors when people find themselves eating a food they've labeled as 'bad' (without a legitimate medical condition informing that label). If you want chocolate, account for the calories in your advance log.
  • SpencersHeart
    SpencersHeart Posts: 170 Member
    I find reading the Success Stories threads very motivating. :flowerforyou:
  • jennibear22
    jennibear22 Posts: 95 Member
    Track everything you eat, every single day. It will help you stick to your deficit and also show you where you are going wrong.

    Don't try to change too much at one time. Every couple of weeks have a new target when you overcome one bad habit.

    If you are really, really craving something - have it. But not too much and then make a deal you will work it off, walk or something to "pay" for it.

    Until you are into good habits, avoid eating out. Plan all your meals and make things you really enjoy and will look forward to eating.

    Give yourself little treats for every week you are good (clothes, massage, new book, a latte - whatever you like)

    I also find that reading the boards and in particular, the success stories, spurs me on when I am losing the will.

    Keep busy - stops you thinking of food and means you cannot eat out of habit or boredom.
  • Adderly619
    Adderly619 Posts: 21
    Well willpower is something you dictate on your own, it all starts to why is your motivation of losing weight in the first place. Use that to keep pushing yourself forward, as for losing 1.5 stone, I would have a suggestion on how you lose about .75 stone(10.5lbs), if you are interested. I actually finished said diet today.

    This sounds like an intro to a magic diet pill sales pitch...just sayin.

    Anyway, back to the OP. There's a saying that goes round on these boards that's something like: Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.

    Instead of "motivation" and "willpower", which are very fickle things and largely depend on emotions, these days I think about my decisions. Everything I do is my decision, because I am an adult and can do what I like. If I "can't" lose weight, then it's not because it is physically impossible, it's because I chose not to do it. I chose to eat that cake. I chose to drink those 8 pints of cider. I chose not to go for a run. I chose to sit on the sofa all weekend instead of going out and being active.

    So it's no-one else's fault but mine if I don't achieve the goals I set for myself. Tough words, but barring any medical conditions, very true! If you really want to achieve something, then you have to take responsibility for your actions and choose to do it.
    Well trust me, I will not try to sell any magic pills, actually I just did a really simple thing of switching my diet around. Granted everyone will get different results from diets, but with mine it helped me keep a steady weight loss.

    I personally think motivation and willpower go hand in hand with decision making, as you said you we are all adult and we are responsible. My motivation is to re-enlist, and when I feel like eating out for the day I look at a picture of my in my old uniform which gives me willpower to make the decision to not go and eat McDonalds.

    I really do admire the fact that you will own up and taking responsibility for your actions and its something many cant do. Usually in my group of friends they seem to blame everything around them.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
    ...Instead of "motivation" and "willpower", which are very fickle things and largely depend on emotions, these days I think about my decisions. Everything I do is my decision, because I am an adult and can do what I like. If I "can't" lose weight, then it's not because it is physically impossible, it's because I chose not to do it. I chose to eat that cake. I chose to drink those 8 pints of cider. I chose not to go for a run. I chose to sit on the sofa all weekend instead of going out and being active.

    So it's no-one else's fault but mine if I don't achieve the goals I set for myself. Tough words, but barring any medical conditions, very true! If you really want to achieve something, then you have to take responsibility for your actions and choose to do it.
    i really like that. i choose to stop.

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