Contrary to popular belief, more willpower and more self-restraint is not the answer to weight loss. 

As matter of fact, I would argue that they actually contribute to the endless diet-binge cycle that so many of us have struggled with at one point or another in our lives.

Here’s the thing.

When we attach ourselves to a specific way of eating, or to a specific diet, and then hold judgment around that way of eating, we inevitably set ourselves up for failure.

For example, if you believe eating low carb is good,  then you also believe that when you eat low carb you’re being good.

And when you don’t eat low carb, that’s not good (aka it’s bad), which means you’re bad and that judgement usually comes partnered with shame, guilt, and a good internal beat-up session that can look something like this:

What’s wrong with me? Why did I do that?  What’s the point?   I’m never going to lose this weight…. etc! 

And it’s in this exact space that overeating is very likely to happen (oh! the irony).

In many ways, we turn to food to comfort ourselves from the self created negative emotions that are a result of the way we are thinking about ourselves and our food.

The more stringent the rules, the more attachment we have to our diet, and the more likely we are to fall off the wagon. Because let’s be honest, nothing is ever perfect in life (including you and your diet).

But after we crash and burn, the first thing a dieter thinks is that this is simply a willpower issue.

We think, “All I need is some more willpower or some more self-restraint and then I’ll be able to lose the weight”.

But, what if what we actually needed was a little more ease and curiosity?   What if instead of eating to follow the rules, we ate in a way that would bring us pleasure and make our bodies feel good?

As someone who has spent many years trying to understand and unlearn the diet mentality, what I know for sure is that the more we try to control and the harder we grip the faster and harder we crash and burn.

Your turn!  Have you ever experienced how willpower and self-control can actually sabotage your best efforts to be healthy and/or lose weight?

Come down to the comments below and share your thoughts, questions, ideas, and/or your aha! moments.