will power, or the Un-Nike - Don't Do It!
Mary said it boils down to her sheer will at times when faced with choices of food. I must agree!
All the fluffy terms we see now: WOE, a life style...blah blah blah....can have holes in it!
Sure, we develop new habits when compared to they way we were! But that alone is not enough for the long term. will power is still alive and very much needed.
I had to bring this up b/c it feels like some of you new to this game may get confused with the hype that will power alone will not do it. Sure, first and foremost, you need a plan to re-route, but even in the formation of that new plan, you MUST posess will power to power thru to the change that you desire.
The good news? You will get addicted to how much better you feel. Really you will. But you need to de-tox in a big way, not only physically from sh*t like sugar/donuts/tater chips...but mentally.
In time, you will feel wonderful - immediately - most of the time anyway when you just DON"T DO IT!
All the fluffy terms we see now: WOE, a life style...blah blah blah....can have holes in it!
Sure, we develop new habits when compared to they way we were! But that alone is not enough for the long term. will power is still alive and very much needed.
I had to bring this up b/c it feels like some of you new to this game may get confused with the hype that will power alone will not do it. Sure, first and foremost, you need a plan to re-route, but even in the formation of that new plan, you MUST posess will power to power thru to the change that you desire.
The good news? You will get addicted to how much better you feel. Really you will. But you need to de-tox in a big way, not only physically from sh*t like sugar/donuts/tater chips...but mentally.
In time, you will feel wonderful - immediately - most of the time anyway when you just DON"T DO IT!
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
(deactivated member)
on 2/26/09 2:00 am, edited 2/26/09 2:04 am - Rochester, NY
on 2/26/09 2:00 am, edited 2/26/09 2:04 am - Rochester, NY
I agree, Neecee. I think Dr. Phil did us (me) a large injustice years ago with his 7 keys to weight loss when he tried to convince me that will power had nothing to do with it. He states..."Willpower is unreliable emotional fuel that drives you when you are excited, motivated, or energized?" He then goes on to say that none of us stay all pumped up forever and that we then cannot rely on willpower to help us.
Kimmie said something a couple of days ago with the Beck approach about gaining strength everytime we face a choice or challenge with food and make the right decision.....all those little triumphs add up to us feeling positive about ourselves and help us stop seeing ourselves as "failures". Well I think that you need to rely on raw willpower at each of those little moments to make the right choice. Sometimes it really is a "white knuckling" experience to sit there in front of that piece of chocolate or cake or to decide to keep on driving past that fast food joint. I agree that each of those little victories can add up to a feeling of power and confidence that in time leads to new healthy habits.
I don't like where this all leads me....then why when I think I want this weight loss more than anything, am I so lacking in willpower when it comes to those little individual choices?
Kimmie said something a couple of days ago with the Beck approach about gaining strength everytime we face a choice or challenge with food and make the right decision.....all those little triumphs add up to us feeling positive about ourselves and help us stop seeing ourselves as "failures". Well I think that you need to rely on raw willpower at each of those little moments to make the right choice. Sometimes it really is a "white knuckling" experience to sit there in front of that piece of chocolate or cake or to decide to keep on driving past that fast food joint. I agree that each of those little victories can add up to a feeling of power and confidence that in time leads to new healthy habits.
I don't like where this all leads me....then why when I think I want this weight loss more than anything, am I so lacking in willpower when it comes to those little individual choices?
Girl, don't even get me started on Dr. Phil...too late, you done got me started on Dr. Phil! The very first time he pissed me off years ago was when he said that very very few people could blame their weight on medical conditions, it was strictly calories in, calories out. I wanted to punch the snot outta him. My heart just cried for every woman who had their thyroids checked and they were on the low side of normal so their sorry docs did nothing for them and they were blaming themselves for gaining weight when they had a metabolic disorder that was misdiagnosed. And until he gets his degree in endocrinology, he'll never understand how you gain with PCOS or Syndrome X or any other metobolic syndrome. Apparently he's never heard of a fat gene and alla the hard work it takes to overcome that evil little ****** either. I'm sorry, but that just was too much of blaming the victim for me! 
*debarking the soap box*
Sherrie, this is how I feel about willpower. To me it's not a constant thing. Most weight loss is about changing your behavior and building a strong nutritional base. Willpower comes into play when something unexpected comes into play, and you are momentarily thrown off balance. It takes "sheer determination"...willpower, to say to yourself, "I'm not going eat this!", when you really really really do want to eat that. Plans are great and I love mine, but I ain't gonna lie, that little brat in my head still remembers how good pie tastes, and she don't care nothin' bout nutrition! Being good at shuttin' her up is where success comes in. Soldier up Sister...this battle is hard fought!
Mary
*debarking the soap box*Sherrie, this is how I feel about willpower. To me it's not a constant thing. Most weight loss is about changing your behavior and building a strong nutritional base. Willpower comes into play when something unexpected comes into play, and you are momentarily thrown off balance. It takes "sheer determination"...willpower, to say to yourself, "I'm not going eat this!", when you really really really do want to eat that. Plans are great and I love mine, but I ain't gonna lie, that little brat in my head still remembers how good pie tastes, and she don't care nothin' bout nutrition! Being good at shuttin' her up is where success comes in. Soldier up Sister...this battle is hard fought!
Mary
and ya know what Sherrie...that is a rock and a hard spot - to feel like "if THAT'S all it takes...a little willpower?"
It is still only a tool! It cannot do it all alone.
The answer is somewhere between loving ourselves enough and just getting past harder spots.
WE make it be about self-esteem, and that is not fair. Not a one of us here is a stupid person or a lazy person. We are not "bad" b/c we are fat! We have to work harder at it than most people ever have to.
I think one day science will have more than this lameass calories in/out bull**** It is far more complicated! Be easy on yourself. You are trying, c' MAWN...when you "blow it" you eat what, 500 more calories a day? yes, the food does not jump into your mouth, I'm saying thin people do that alla time and don't suffer like we do!
It is still only a tool! It cannot do it all alone.
The answer is somewhere between loving ourselves enough and just getting past harder spots.
WE make it be about self-esteem, and that is not fair. Not a one of us here is a stupid person or a lazy person. We are not "bad" b/c we are fat! We have to work harder at it than most people ever have to.
I think one day science will have more than this lameass calories in/out bull**** It is far more complicated! Be easy on yourself. You are trying, c' MAWN...when you "blow it" you eat what, 500 more calories a day? yes, the food does not jump into your mouth, I'm saying thin people do that alla time and don't suffer like we do!
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
PLUS, Sherrie, as little food as us oldsters "need" any more - Atilla the Hun does not have THAT kind of will power.
It is a whole 'nuther ball game at this stage of life! It's always hard, don't get me wrong, but seriously now, it is SCARY how little food my body needs.
That is another reason I backed off myself...unless I get physically altered by WLS or deathly ill, I probably cannot reasonably eat much less to lose what I still have to lose.
I'm just like you...I still get very down about this, but on most days, i know I am doing the best I can within reason. I have to call staying the same weight a victory! And it is.
PS: Yeah, Mary! Phil can suck it with his lil ole tiny wifey.
It is a whole 'nuther ball game at this stage of life! It's always hard, don't get me wrong, but seriously now, it is SCARY how little food my body needs.
That is another reason I backed off myself...unless I get physically altered by WLS or deathly ill, I probably cannot reasonably eat much less to lose what I still have to lose.
I'm just like you...I still get very down about this, but on most days, i know I am doing the best I can within reason. I have to call staying the same weight a victory! And it is.
PS: Yeah, Mary! Phil can suck it with his lil ole tiny wifey.
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
(deactivated member)
on 2/26/09 2:31 am
on 2/26/09 2:31 am
Great post Neecee!
Definition of willpower: energetic determination
Yanno, people who are around me all the time comment on my amazing amount of willpower. Willpower is the only thing I relied on in the beginning. At this point, the new habits, the way I feel, the way I look MATTERS to me so it indeed has become a way of life/lifestyle for me (and it took YEARS for that to happen). I still hear comments about my willpower but at this point, I don't usually have the internal struggle I used to have. It doesn't feel like a constant battle anymore. I won't ever feel like someone who has never been fat but I will admit that it's not hard most of the time. Food just doesn't do much for me anymore. Not sure why.
I think the difference in how all these different principles should be applied depends on where someone is in the weight loss/maintenance phase.
Kim
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