Thursday, September 8, 2011

Weight Loss Takes Willpower


There are thousands of weight loss plans and books and cook books etc out there for anyone to use. The websites are full of studies and plans and helpful tips. Same thing for exercise and fitness. You can get in shape and lose weight using so many of these plans. I know people who have lost weight on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Beach, via walking, jogging, rowing, boot camp participation. My point is, pick a plan or a combination of ideas and most will work. That is "IF" we have the willpower to actually adhere to any of these techniques.
Throughout most of my adult life I've been up and down in weight. Not always fat, not always in top shape. I'm a "yo yo" exerciser the more I think about it. I generally have exercised to some degree all my adult life. Sometimes, I just get really immersed into it and that is when I get lean then I tapper off or get injured or whatever the excuse is and since I wasn't having to "diet" per se, the weight would come back on.
Calories "in" and calories "out" is not an equal opportunity process. Age, gender, current weight and environment and genetics all enter into the mathematical equation for what it takes to lose weight. Most fat folks don't think about each meal and whether it will put pounds on or help reduce pounds. By the same token most normal weight people I know also "DO NOT" make conscious decisions about eating either. Some scientist believe different peoples brains urge them on to eat more than others. Some people find eating more pleasurable than others. But when we are fat and do want to lose weight. We have to think about it. It may not seem fair that you have to exercise more and eat less than the person next to you to weigh the same as they do. But that is the cards some of us are dealt with and its up to us to make those choices.
It takes willpower. Next Friday I will delve into what willpower is, or might be. What is your opinion about what willpower is? Be careful. I'm not looking for examples of what people with willpower "do". I'm looking for that inner most psychological essence of energy in our minds that is "willpower".
Now get out there and work at it fat buddies and may the willpower be with you.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you have to find what motivates you and let that be your willpower.

Personally, about 7 years ago I decided that if I remained heavy I could come to enjoy taking medications, having joint problems and living a shorter life. Or, I could eat right and be fit and participate in my children's lives and improve the quality of my own life.

The universal truth of people who lose weight and get in shape is the realization as to how much of life they were missing by choosing to be fat.

Example - a couple of years back my kid said she wanted to do a 5K. Because I was in shape I signed us up for one the next weekend. That's a memory we both have now. If I was fat, I would have made some excuse and missed out on something irreplaceable. Being fat means a lot more than just carrying extra pounds. It is a conscious decision to sit on the sidelines of life.

Anonymous said...

For me willpower is something I have to constantly work on. It is a determination not to let a slight slip up, e.g. a weight gain, derail what I want. It means pushing that out of my mind and not letting it put me into a negative frame of mind. It takes constant focus to think about what I am eating and sometimes why I'm eating it (am I eating because I'm hungry...am I stressed...upset)? For me willpower takes constant reinforcement so I don't slide back into old habits.

Anonymous said...

Yes, weight loss takes will power, but it also takes knowledge and breaking bad habits. There are so many options to lose weight, but you have to pick the one that will work for you. I chose Medi Weight Loss Clinics in Charlotte and it was the best thing I ever did. They have the knowledge, they have the motivation when you are having a bad day, and they guide and encourage you each step of the way. If you have not looked into them, you should. Don't try to do it alone. They will help you succeed and help you keep it off.