Willpower? Whats willpower?

[Usagi]

Here is my question, my problem, and the bane of my very existence. How do you guys(girls, chicks, peoples..) deal with willpower? It seems I have none! Sometimes, even on a great day of dieting I will feel that "so hungry" pang and bam! I eat a box of left over chinese food before I know what I'm doing. And then, of course, I feel like a total loser.
Anyway, any tips for how to stay on track? It seems that even though I want so much to be "that hot girl on campus" the chinese food wins. I hate when food wins.

[StarPrincess]

I seem to always have a few tricks up my sleeve

1. I did away with the concept of willpower. Now I just think of it as dicipline. I don't know why, but the word change helps me.

2. I've discovered that if I'm getting the right nutrients and vitamins from my food, I don't get those hunger pangs so I pay close attention to what I eat and make sure that it's nutrient-dense foods.

3. I keep myself busy. I work on projects (refinishing an old armoir right now), puzzles, my nails, anything to keep my hands and brain occupied and my body away from the kitchen.

4. I clean anything that will hold still. It's productive and it kills my appetite for some reason.

5. I visualize the way I want to look and compare it to the way I'm going to look if I don't get a grip on my relationship with food. It tends to scare me onto the right track.

6. I eat something else. Something small, but satisfying and 'legal'. If it's actually hunger, then it works. If it's a craving, I know I have to fight it. I want to be in control of my body, not the other way around.

7. Finally, if all else fails, I make a deal with myself. I allow myself one or two bites of the 'bad' food and then put it away. If I'm still hungry in 30 minutes (and I never am) I can have a couple more bites.

Good luck!

[jiffypop]

eat on a schedule... that way, you won't get so hungry. i eat every 4 hours...

and star has GREAT ideas....

[a broad abroad]

I wish someone had told me to get a grip on the eating when I was 22. Of course I knew it anyway and thought I could get by. Over the years the pounds "snuck" up on me and I ended up at a place where I didn't want to be. My point is that you are young and have the best years of your life ahead of you. I know it may be hard to think too far into the future with immediate needs front and center, but you don't want to look back on your life one day and say I wish I had practiced willpower. The time to act is now.

Like you said, it would feel great to be that hot girl on campus, and through your twenties and on, so get some apples or other 'convenience' food and don't give in to temptation. Think how much better thin would feel than what satisfies a weak moment.

Remember, eyes on the prize!! Good luck.

[Usagi]

Thanks a lot for the advice, it helped a lot. "Eyes on the Prize!" lol I haven't heard that in years, made me smile.