There are a lot of people in the health business that declare that weight loss success is due to willpower. And even we as women seem to believe often that “if we only had enough willpower” we could have the perfect body. 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 not only because of the chemistry of the brain but many other factors too, like the addictive properties of junk food for example. Any weight -loss program based on deprivation rather than inquiry and understanding is doomed to fail in the long run.
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.
Are you 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 10 pounds 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 consistency, 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 a mile every day, but then when you go outside today, you are in no way motivated to do so tomorrow. The reasons can be plentiful; rain, snow, 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 try.
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. Get a training or diet buddy, somebody who will hold you to your word.
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.
Willpower Focuses On A Variable
Take for instance, if your resolve is to stop drinking soft drinks. This is fine, but the problem is that you will be thinking of soft drinks 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.
A better approach? A diversion. Find something to replace what you will be eliminating. Trying to forget soft drinks? Find a healthier beverage that you have no problem using in its’ place. Make your own version of detox water with cucumber slices and fresh lemon dressed up with sprigs of fresh peppermint.
A great substitute would be also be fruit infused water- and best of all? No fighting with willpower!
Willpower Prioritizes Starvation
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 in as many green veggies as you like.
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. And is it about the calories saved and the kilos dropped? How about cultivating a loving and compassionate relationship with your body instead! Wouldn’t you like to love your body anyway and be grateful for all that it does for you? I see the biggest changes with my clients once this happens. It’s an act of self love and all of a sudden the soft drink or cookies don’t seem that appealing anymore. Clients developed a new relationship with food and their body’s which is beautiful to see and experience. It’s like a shift has happened.
One thing that has helped them to achieve this was that when their mind told them it wanted food, they had to ask these three essential questions:
1. What am I feeling right now?
2. What am I trying to avoid?
3. What’s missing that I think food can replace?
I hope this will help you too. I also recommend the book “Women Food and God” written by Geneen Roth to my clients, which is a great read.
Let me know if I can help you out in any way or if you have any questions.
Lots of Love
Susanne
www.susanne-mcallister.com
Susanne McAllister (your pocket coach) is a Health and Wellness Coach that loves to help women with children, that are a little bit older, to get their health and weight back on track “their unique body’s way” with Joy and Kindness and even some fun!
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