Really Struggling with Willpower
 

I've lost just over three stone.....in 3 yrs. I'm now 10.5 and I'd like to be 9.5
I did weightwatchers last year and lost around a stone but this year I'm in a gym that does HIIT training and I prefer it to weightwatchers as I feel fitter and I'm exercising. I also do triathlon swim training twice a week but only the swim part...the gym sometimes 4 or 5 times a week.
BUT I'm not losing weight and its due to my diet. I start every morning with good intentions then I eat a cake or chocolate or go to McDonalds at night or the chip shop...as once I've given in and had something bad I write that day off and think I will start again tomorrow...and the same happens.
I'm so frustrated with myself but my willpower is hopeless. I actually am beginning to think I have sugar addiction.
I just had a health scare and not in the all clear just yet...but I really know I should get my diet right and lose that last stone.
I'm hoping being on here will help. Any suggestions on how is the best way to get moral support each day on this forum please.
I feel fat when I put some clothes on and look at my stomach in the mirror...and its depressing as I know its my own fault but I am so bad at self control.

I recommend looking for some healthy foods that taste good. If you find some healthy foods that you like, you'll have less motivation to eat unhealthy foods.

The good thing about sugar addiction is that it's not permanent. If you force yourself to give up sugar for about 2 weeks, then you won't crave it as much.

1 slice of cake is better than 2 slices. Maybe you can try to gradually improve your diet gradually, if it's too hard to give up all of the junk food at once.

i would actually relook at your diet. you need to make sure you are eating enough of the right foods at the right times. eating at the exact same time evryday balances out your appetite hormones and this prevents the peaks and dips in hormones that cause cravings and sugar addictions. let me know if you have further questions and i will try to help.

You can do WW and exercise, it's not either/or.

I've been doing the 5:2 diet for a few months, with good results. The best thing about it is that you only need really serious will power for 2 days a week (eat 500 calories only), and for the other 5 you "just eat sensibly".

Now, for me, who appears to have been born without a functioning appestat, the 5 days were at first the biggest stumbling block ~ it was so tempting just to dive head-first into the delicious carbs that are my downfall. However, really quite quickly I've lost my craving for them. I suspect it's because you basically can't have them on your Fast Days: technically you can but 500 calories of cake/KFC/cookies doesn't go far, so it's easier not to eat them at all on those 2 days.

I'm averaging just under 2lbs a week weightloss, and, as I'd already been losing on normal calorie counting before I started 5:2, I'm pleased with that. The best thing of all is that, without realizing it, almost against my will!, it's begun to re-train my attitude to food ~ I often voluntarily stop eating now when I've had enough, and that, believe me, is a first.

I'm 62. I've been dieting for 45 years, and have had lots of successful weightlosses (clearly none of them permanent) but this is the first time my cravings/attitude/appestat have been impacted, and I'm pretty pleased with that too.

Take heart young lady!!! You can't count on willpower because it always runs out. Instead, have healthy and delicious options already ready to go so that you'll eat that instead of the cake. Why are you going to the chip shop an mcdonalds? They're quick and easy options for dinner? Your friends go there, too? Honestly I could've written your post a few years ago. I've been there and I know how helpless it feels. Maybe with more details we can brainstorm some solutions! Don't give up hope.

Hi :)
It's great you have the motivation to work out. The diet, you could try fill up on healthy food earlier in the day so you are not really hungry in the evening and cave and get takeaway. And have healthy meals ready to heat up every day :)

I find it helpful to eat small amounts regularly (every few hours) throughout the day, even if it's just a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts or seeds in between meals, especially after exercise. Having a small post-workout meal, even if it's just a protein shake, can help with staving off hunger, and apparently also helps with muscle recovery and boosting metabolism. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day also helps: it keeps you feeling fuller, and apparently much of the time when your body is acting like it's hungry, it's really just thirsty anyway.

Preparing meals in advance is something I've found helpful. Having something tasty for my evening meal that I've put together the night/morning before also me feeling tempted by convenient junk-food alternatives. For example, I know I currently have some yummy steamed salmon, couscous and vegetables sitting in my fridge ready to eat for my dinner this evening, so I won't be looking for food on my way home later.

Sourcing lower calorie alternatives to your favourite foods can help, e.g. Fibre One bars are very tasty and cakey in texture, but only 87 calories. If you're craving chocolate, a Milky Way bar is only 96 calories, chicken burgers without mayo or even without the bun, etc. Also, try looking up the calorie content of the fast-food items you usually eat (I count calories like a maniac!), and keep those numbers in mind when you're feeling tempted. Think of the food item in terms of how much work you'll need to put in to burn those calories away. Or if you really want to put yourself off McDonalds, look up how their food is made! I'm no vegetarian, but it was enough to turn me off for life. :/

Do you think it might help if you have something to look forward to? I'm thinking along the lines of knowing you can have an unhealthy meal on Sunday, or that you want to look good for a wedding or something. My willpower isn't always great either (huge sugar fan here) but one thing that does help is not completely ruining a day. If I give in or forget and eat cake or mcdonalds, I see it as a slip and try to make my next meal that day healthier rather than think I will start again tomorrow.

Do you think having food plans will help? If you have food already prepped and in the fridge/freezer you might not want to go to the chip shop because your own food will be quick. Another idea is having healthy comfort food meal ideas ready so it is delicious and healthy.

Hi Kazoo,
know it was a while ago since you posted. I hope you're doing better with things. The first thing that you need to do is not to beat yourself up about it. Sugar addiction is very real and can make you feel that you have no self control. The thing is that sugar addiction is a physiological need and so for many people it's not a matter of willpower. Sugar has an opiate like (addictive) effect on some people so your body starts craving and needing it. Remember, this is very real. It's like most people will need to eat when they have gone without food for a significant amount of time. Your body needs it and there comes a point where you just have to eat. With sugar the timescale is shorter than the food example. There are hormonal issues surrounding it too.

The good news is that you can break a sugar addiction in 1-2 weeks. You can try a low carb or ketogenic diet so you teach your body to rely on fat as a fuel source rather than sugar. It's also a good idea to work on mindset. There are many modalities available that can help you change your relationship with food. There's been a recent study done on EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) that has shown that using EFT can kill cravings in 6 weeks. Resources are available all over the internet about this. Sometimes our food cravings start as an emotional issue and then becomes a psychological issue. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is also good at helping you rationalize the reasons you crave unhealthy foods or have unhelpful behaviors surrounding food.

Sounds like you've got great fitness, and you've come a long way in 3 years, so give yourself heaps of credit for that.

To answer your question i think the best way to get moral support every day is to set up a challenge in the Challenge section, or join one that's there, so that you can set out what you're going to do to lose the last stone and monitor the process that way. There's quite a few that go month-by-month for example. Sounds like you just need some motivation to get started - once you're going you'll feel heaps better about yourself and it'll be easy to stick to, but getting started is hard!

Unfortunately it seems super-quiet round here at the moment - it's normally busier!

oops, just realised OP is probably long-gone!......

Eat only “real food,” no processed food AT ALL, and walk 60 minutes every morning before you have breakfast, and only eat three meals per day, no snacking. Don’t drink anything except water.

My definition of real food is food that comes directly from nature with ZERO processing by humans. So, vegetables are real food. Spaghetti is NOT real food. Eggs are real food. Bread is not real food. Fish, poultry, meat are real. Fish sandwiches, chicken nuggets and Spam aren’t not. The one exception to the eat any real food rule is fruit. Avoid most fruit, mostly. Only make fruit an infrequent treat or dessert once or twice a week.