I could retire if I had just one dollar for every time a client has said to me, “I wish I just had more willpower!” But willpower will never override the power of human biology.
Our biology is wired to override the power of our will (willpower) when we do stupid shit like skip meals or avoid fats that are essential for life. Skipping meals and avoiding healthy fats were presented as ways to lose weight according to OLD thinking. Old thinking said a calorie was a calorie, and that we should restrict them to lose weight.
But all calories are NOT created equally. We can eat 2,000 calories of lean protein, healthy fats, and lots of green leafy veggies, or we can eat 2,000 calories of cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream and we will get two very different outcomes for health, energy, and mood.
Trying to release excess weight using willpower often results in afternoon cravings, after dinner overeating, and binge eating. Why?
SCIENCE!
If we skip meals, or severely restrict calories, human biology steps in to save us from ourselves. Humans need food to fuel every process in the body. If we don’t eat the required fuel, biology creates cravings to drive us to eat more food.
Unfortunately it’s not a sophisticated enough warning system to drive cravings toward the nutrient-dense foods we require. We just crave FOOD. Often we turn to sugary, low-nutrient foods (because they appear to give us an energy boost for a moment) which compounds the biological cravings. This is how we end up eating and eating and eating to try to satisfy the biological drive for nutrients.
If you – like SO many other humans – find you have an energy slump in the afternoon, crave sugary foods, or eat compulsively after dinner, willpower is NOT going to help. Willpower will NOT curb these behaviors nor help us lose weight.
Addressing the biological reasons for cravings and overeating requires knowledge of those biological reasons, awareness of when it’s happening, curiosity about why it’s happening, compassion for ourselves as we learn new behaviors, and the courage and willingness to make small changes that we can sustain over time.
The GREAT news is that, unlike the mythical substance of willpower, knowledge, awareness, curiosity, compassion, courage and willingness are tangible qualities that we can cultivate and increase. These are qualities we can harness to power a healthy, energized body that we can enjoy!
Grow on!
What topic are you currently trying to willpower your way through?
What tangible qualities could you use some support in creating and strengthening?
What is holding you back, and what strategy might help you get beyond that?
What is one step you can take today to move you in the direction of your goal?
How can I help you create the growth you desire?
Do you need help cultivating knowledge, awareness, curiosity, compassion, courage and willingness? Do you want to develop confidence and create strategies to overcome obstacles that have been holding you back for awhile? If so, Relief through Release Playgroup can help!
My eight-week online program is designed for women who want to release processed sugar and kick self-criticism to the curb in order to create relief from unwanted symptoms like overeating and excess weight.
Click here to learn more about my coaching options for revitalizing your energy and transforming your life around food & body. Click here to book a Discovery Session to see if my coaching is the right fit for your goals.
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