The Truth About Will Power—and How to Get More!

The main problem that dieters (particularly women) have with "willpower" is that they are approaching their weight from the wrong angle... most believe if they avoid 'x' (food) then they will get 'y' (be 'skinny', have attention from the opposite sex, improve their lives). However, this frame of thinking puts dieters in a constant state of depravity... it ingrains in them that they must give up something they really 'love' (and actually 'need') to be happy.

Because the motivation to be 'happy' is so strong, dieters can exercise great discipline (or 'willpower') while they are pursuing 'happiness' (goal weight) as fast as possible. But as they lose weight, many find they are still not COMPLETELY 'happy', because, though their weight and appearance are improving, they are hungry and, likely, constantly tempted by calorie dense food. Few, if any, can shoulder this 'temptation' forever... eventually, their happiness about weight loss will fade under the weight of the constant temptation they feel, and they will start to resent that they must deprive themselves in one area (eating) to achieve success in another (weight loss/maintenance). Then, they crack, overeat/binge, and come to some 'cop-out' the conclusion like 'life is too short to deprive yourself' or 'I don't have the 'genetics' to have a healthy weight', etc.... and, ultimately, they return to old habits (overeating the wrong foods) which lead to regaining all (and, usually, more) of the weight they lose.

Here's the inherent problem with the 'avoiding food to lose weight' approach: your body runs on FOOD!!! You must eat every day of your life, and you must eat the proper amount for what you do, or your body will tell your brain to devour extra calories at any cost. Since your brain knows, intuitively, that extra calories lie in fried, sugary, fatty foods, those are the items it will command you to eat.

Imagine trying to 'outsmart' you car the way you do your body when you diet - by thinking that you can somehow run it with no gas. You may run on fumes for a mile or two, but, eventually, your car needs gas or it will shut down! Your body is NO different - it needs gas ('food') to run and you CANNOT escape that fact.

All dieters who experience long-term success with weight loss AND their emotional happiness, eventually STOP 'dieting' (exercising constant 'willpower'  by focusing on what they cannot put in their body) and START eating (focusing on what their body needs to 'run' optimally). They don't 'eliminate' any particular item, like carbs, protein, or fat, forever, because our bodies are designed to need ALL of those macronutrients and depriving them of ANY will cause the body to tell them brain to eat that item in abundance. They simply eat enough calories from enough quality calorie sources that they enjoy to not feel hungry or deprived or tempted. If they indulge in a treat from this 'well-fed' state, they do it consciously and by choice (and usually in moderation), rather than as a reaction to some overwhelming brain signal that tells them to eat that item until they cannot eat any more.

So don't focus on what you 'can't' have when you diet... learn what is good for you that you actually LIKE to eat and stick with it!! Do you crave bread/sweets/crackers/potato chips all of the time? That's not surprising because food like this is primarily carbohydrate our body needs carbohydrates!! Focus on oatmeal, brown rice, yams, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and the like and your 'sweet tooth' will GREATLY dissipate. Are you always wanting a hamburger, hot dog, or barbecue? That's your body telling you it needs protein!! Eat lean proteins (fish, chicken breast, egg whites, low-fat dairy, lean beef, etc), learn to grill, broil, roast or bake them in flavorful ways, and watch in amazement as you will not want the fatty sources nearly as often, if at all. Are butter and fried foods are your idea of 'heaven'? Those are filled with fat and your body NEEDS fat to survive, as well!! Focus on nuts, olive/safflower/canola oil (or salad dressin