Never Enough to Lose Weight

Routinely, I ask my patients what they need to be successful with losing weight. Invariably the responses include two things you will never have enough of—motivation and willpower. If you're banking on this to help you make a lifestyle change, you're setting yourself up to fail.
Why do I feel this way? Motivation can be misplaced and fleeting. Willpower by its very nature is inconsistent at best. When these two factors are the things you call upon to help you make better decisions and make changes in your lifestyle consistently, you will find that consistency is hard to achieve.

Let's deal with willpower first. The battle of willpower is something you will always lose. It's like gambling…you may get on a good roll, but if you do it long enough you lose. A misperception I hear all the time is that some people must have incredible willpower to stay thin or not eat certain foods. More likely is that these individuals manage their environment and avoid tempting themselves repeatedly with the things they are trying to limit. If I like to eat chocolate cake (and I do), and I only want to allow myself the option to eat it once a week, it makes no sense for me to bake a cake and leave it sitting on my counter top all week. Every time I walk past the cake, I'm going to think about it and have to expend mental energy to not have some. I may be able to do this when I'm at my best, but the next time I'm upset or really hungry or tired from working all day, I'll probably give in and make an exception. However, as soon as I finish that last bite, I'll resolve to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.

Motivation is necessary, but only as a means to get you to reorder your priority list. Your motivation becomes sustained when you can recognize how the benefits of your lifestyle change outweigh the benefits of doing your default. When this happens, you make time for meal planning or exercise. You find ways to pack your exercise clothes for the business trip. You spend your time and effort doing the things that you care about most. If doing the things that are needed to make a lifestyle change and lose weight isn't important enough, you won't do it. The key phrase here is that you need to care about DOING THE THINGS. You have to care about the PROCESS just as much as you do the OUTCOME.
Losing weight is a challenging proposition for many, but very doable. Set yourself up for success by valuing the benefits of the small lifestyle changes you make (walking, eating better choices, journaling, good sleep) and by managing your environment.