Weight Loss and The Myth of Willpower

READY TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE?
FORGET WILLPOWER … YOU NEED A PLAN!

Lose weight and keep it off. Eat better. Eat less. Exercise more. Reduce stress. You know you want to be living a life of greater wellness, and you know this means changing a few behaviors. As you contemplate changing or prepare to take action, are you also thinking about willpower, and wondering how you’re going to find enough of it to really win the battle this time?

If you think willpower is the key to successfully changing your behaviors and living a healthier life, we’ve got some good news for you! Starting right now, you can officially forget about willpower, and stop feeling badly about yourself for not having enough of it. It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. Research has consistently shown that people who have long term success with weight loss, healthy eating, exercise, stress management or other wellness issues do not rely on willpower, because it simply doesn’t work! Here’s why.

Willpower is not a consistent, steady source of fuel for change. Since it is based on emotions, it comes and goes as our emotions do. So, when your resolve to “do better” fades (as it undoubtedly will from time to time), your willpower fades, too. And when your willpower is low or non-existent, what happens when you have to face a real-life temptation or obstacle, such as donuts in the office that you vowed you wouldn’t eat, or a rainy afternoon when you promised you would walk outdoors? Often times, in the face of a challenge, you’ll find yourself slipping right back into old habits, and then berating yourself for not having enough willpower to make the right decision.

The concept of willpower creates a negative cycle that actually reduces your chances for success. When you make a resolution to change, and then do not have long term success - simply because you relied too heavily on willpower - you eventually begin to feel badly about yourself. You may begin to think or say things like “I just don’t have enough discipline”, “I’m not strong enough to do this”, “I’m too lazy”, “I’m out of control”, “I must be flawed”, “I never do what I say I am going to”, “I’m disgusted by myself”. These thoughts erode self-efficacy, or your confidence that you can change your behavior, and then your future attempts to change may be doomed from the start.

So, what to do if you’re not going to rely on your willpower, you ask? Great question!

When you’re ready to make changes in your lifestyle to improve your health, you need to approach these changes in a methodical way, develop a realistic plan of action that suits your needs, and gradually implement the plan on a day-by-day basis. Whether the change is weight loss, eating better, exercising more, managing stress or any other aspect of wellness, most people who are successful do a few common things. Consider these tried and true tips as you embark upon your health-improvement project.

Know what’s motivating you to change and remind yourself of it frequently. You can identify your motivators by answering the questions: Why do I want to make these changes in my life? Why is it so important to me right now that I ... (you fill in the blank here – eat better, lose weight, exercise, etc)? It doesn’t matter what your answer is as long as your reasons for wanting change, or your motivators, are things that are truly meaningful to you. If you’re thinking about changing for someone else or because you know you “should”, that’s not going to cut it. Your motivator needs to be something you feel strongly about and that will carry you through the tough times. Examples of common powerful motivators are:

“I want to be in control of my life and my health again.”
“I want to be a good role model for my family.”
“I want to look sexy and feel confident in my swimsuit this summer.”

Your motivator may sound something like one of these, or it may be completely different. But, whatever it is, make sure to stay connected with it throughout the change process. You can remind yourself of your motivation to change in any way that suits you. You could write down your motivator and post it on your computer or refrigerator. You could put up a picture that reminds you of your motivation, or say it aloud several times each day.

Set SMART goals. Make long term goals for a few months down the road, and short term goals that focus on small daily or weekly action steps. Structure your goals in the same fashion you would when making goals for a big project at work or in school. Make them specific and measurable. Focus on what actions you intend to do, instead of what outcome you hope to achieve. Make them realistic, taking into account your current behaviors, your personality and your obstacles, and incorporate a timeline of some sort, so you have a mental deadline. Here is an example to help clarify these points.

NOT a smart goal: Start exercising again.

SMART long term goal: In three months, I will be doing at least three 30-minute cardio sessions and two strength training sessions each week.

SMART short term goal (Wk 1): This week, I will walk for 20 minutes on the treadmill on Thursday.
SMART short term goal (Wk 2): This week, I will walk for 20 minutes on the treadmill on Tuesday and Thursday.

Be sure to set goals that you are reasonably confident you can achieve. It’s better to promise yourself something manageable and have success with it than to make an unrealistic goal and not achieve. Success breeds success!

Identify your obstacles, and prepare a few strategies. Once you set your goals, think honestly about what obstacles you will encounter as you begin to work toward them. It’s important to understand what might get in the way so that you can start planning now for how you’ll face these obstacles when you run into them. You need to develop some realistic, workable strategies to overcome or minimize the effect of your unique challenges. If you have trouble coming up with strategies, consider finding out what other successful people in your situation have done, or talk things over with a supportive person in your life. You could also identify what has worked in the past for you and use that strategy again, or try a completely new “out of the box” approach you think might work. As an example, below is a common obstacle many people face, with possible strategies listed underneath it.

Obstacle
I have too many life commitments during the week, and not enough time to exercise.

Possible Strategies
• I will get exercise in small increments throughout the day, such as a brisk 10-minute walk at lunch and a 20 minute bike ride with the kids at night.
• I can start by getting exercise on the weekends when I have more free time and gradually incorporate more activity into the week when I’m ready.
• I’ll ask my spouse and the kids to take care of dinner or clean-up two nights each week, so I can do an exercise video at home.

Recognize and reward your “wins” along the way. There’s no sense in waiting until you’ve reached your long term goal to congratulate yourself. Change happens as a result of the energy and effort you put forth every single day, and you will actually increase your likelihood for success if you recognize and reward these accomplishments as you go. Even if it’s a small thing, feeling good about your daily and weekly wins boosts your confidence about being able to keep the momentum going and achieve the greater level of wellness you desire.

1. Prev:The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss
2. Next:Fitness is Healthier Than Weight Loss