Many so called health experts chalk up weight loss success to willpower. Not only is this a false belief, but also a way to sabotage yourself. The fact is most people are not able to maintain their willpower for an extended period of time, simply because of the chemistry of the brain. One Small change is a better strategy than using willpower for weight loss.
Willpower is a false prophet; one forged in our minds to “impress” others, even though at the core of it all we know it’s just a pile of lies.
Wondering why willpower is not the definitive factor that will determine your weight loss? Read on to learn more:
Willpower DOESN’T Play Well With Goals
Ever wondered why willpower doesn’t help you achieve your goals? It is because willpower is impossible to maintain at the same intensity for a period of time. Take for example you make the goal of losing 5 Kilos in a month.
This is great, but how will willpower help you get there? Maybe it will remind you to look at the days going by, and realizing that you’re no way closer to achieving your goals.
That won’t change your life. Instead, write down what you want and develop small changes each day, as in building healthier habits and work on making them stick. Do a bit every day and build on it. That approach trumps willpower any day of the year.
Willpower CAN’T Change Your Environment
Sure, you may tell yourself today that you will run or walk a 5 klm every day, but then when you go outside today, you are in no way motivated to do so you think tomorrow. What happens tomorrow? The reasons can be plentiful; the weather, your joints hurt or, maybe you just don’t want to?
The fact is that willpower is fragile, and won’t beat your environment. Willpower will try to elevate you above the environmental deterrent, but the environment will win regardless of how hard you tell yourself this is what you really want.
Willpower DOESN’T Equal Accountability
Willpower is your own internal resolve. This is fine, but how will you be kept accountable? When you are the judge of yourself, the verdict will always be biased. We are always talking down to ourselves when we find willpower is not working and being told off by anybody, even ourselves is not motivating. Get a training or health food buddy, somebody who will hold you to your word. I found my biggest success was when I was working with someone to help me stay on the path I wanted.
Plus, if resolve is what you are after, nothing can give you more willpower than good old competition. The competitive nature of mankind is to be better than his fellow man. This can work out in your favor, as rivalry sets up a win-win scenario for everyone. I had great results when I was training for a particular event so even if I did not succeed climbing a mountain in south Africa or came last in my 1st triathlon the training I did for it before hand was very motivating.
Willpower Focuses On A Variable
Take for instance, if your resolve is to stop drinking soft drink or eating chocolate or even give up the booze. This is fine, but the problem is that you will be thinking of the thing you have vowed to give up and you will think about it all day, as you struggle to remind yourself to avoid it. This is the ugly trick human nature often plays on us; we want what we can’t have. You may even have an emotional attachment to a particular food you decide you want to avoid.
A better approach? A diversion. Find something to replace what you will be eliminating. Trying to forget soft drink or Booze? Find a healthier beverage that you have no problem using in place like Kombucha, fruit infused water or sparking water. If chocolate is your vice, then how about making your own chocolate with stevia being the addictive sugar replacement. Google has many good healthy recipes. Here is one you might like
You also need to identify the emotional reasons and work through to release the reasons why some foods may have a hold on you. I know for me stress or if in a situation where I feel I am out of my league has me looking for some kind of comfort with food but unfortunately even though my conscious knows food is not a love replacement my unconscious has different ideas. Tapping into the unconscious and releasing the hidden things sabotaging your success is magical.
No more fighting with willpower!
Willpower Prioritizes Starvation
I talk about not counting calories and eating foods with no chemicals. I also harp on about sticking to “real” and fresh food not the processed foods like pasta or breads that play havoc with our guts but you must ultimately reduce calories to lose weight- that is a fact.
However, the real battle with willpower begins when you are hungry. Willpower dictates that you eat the bland chicken, but will not tell you that you can overindulge many veggies.
Why should you feel hungry? By deliberately knowing that you can freely munch on low calorie veggies, you will be happy to forego some things knowing that you can fall back on something else. That is the strategy of a permanent weight loss plan. Carrot sticks and Hummus is a great go to for me.
Conclusion
Willpower sounds great in theory, but the most successful weight loss stories know that it is not sexy. Therefore you do not need to be on a constant high, but develop real systems that keep you working at weight loss day after day, forever, one day at a time. One Small change!!!
If you are looking for some accountability – Join my Supportive facebook group where we motivate each other to make ONE small change
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