Any secrets to will power?

[jsharr ★]

Mine comes and goes.  I know that my choices have consequences, bad ones, but I still have a hard time with will power, esp when it comes to working out, riding, eating clean.

Have been eating mostly clean for the last week.  Paying attention to what I eat, when I eat and how much I eat.  If I do snack it is healthy.  Breakfast is either two eggs or hot oatmeal.  Lunch is one half of boneless skinless grilled chicken breast and one cup of steamed veggies.  Dinner varies, but I keep the portions small and healthy.  

Over the weekend I was camping and there were tons of opportunities to cheat, but I did not.  Brought my own food and ate it.  Oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter and apple for lunch and dinner, beef steaks or nuts for snacks.

This morning I woke up feeling energized and more alive than I have in a long time and it has to be the clean eating.

So I know it works.  Today I am really struggling with wanting a sugary snack, but I will not give in.  Not sure why it was easy to avoid on the weekend and I have had to tell myself NO so many times today.

Next big step is to get active every single day and not just on Scout weekends.

So what are your secrets to will power and doing the next right thing, even when you do not want to?

[late]

Get some more fat into your diet, and keep some diet friendly snacks, like macademia nuts. Your lunch doesn't have enough fat to avoid getting hungry, for example.

[jsharr ★]

12 minutes ago, late said:

Get some more fat into your diet, and keep some diet friendly snacks, like macademia nuts. Your lunch doesn't have enough fat to avoid getting hungry, for example.

I do keep mixed nuts on hand at the office for snacking.  I also keep a 1/4 cup scoop by them to help with portion control.   I also eat an ounce or so of cheese with an apple for a snack in the evenings in lieu of the peanut butter.

[maddmaxx ★]

No secrets but he's probably better on the road courses than on the ovals.

[jsharr ★]

1 minute ago, maddmaxx said:

No secrets but he's probably better on the road courses than on the ovals.

IRL see what you did there!

[jsharr ★]

17 minutes ago, late said:

Get some more fat into your diet, and keep some diet friendly snacks, like macademia nuts. Your lunch doesn't have enough fat to avoid getting hungry, for example.

Great tip, thank you!   I want to work on avoiding snacking if possible, but want to be realistic as well.   Blood sugar was close to normal this AM.  

[maddmaxx ★]

1 minute ago, jsharr said:

IRL see what you did there!

Yes.  I'm the champ.

[dinneR ★]

It sounds like you eat well. Exercise as much as possible. Walk or bike when you could drive. Turn off the TV and go for a ride or run.  Take a walk during your work day.

[TrentonMakes]

A walk around a hospital ward should provide some important perspective.

[jsharr ★]

2 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Yes.  I'm the champ.

[jsharr ★]

Just now, dennis said:

It sounds like you eat well. Exercise as much as possible. Walk or bike when you could drive. Turn off the TV and go for a ride or run.  Take a walk during your work day.

That was not true up until very recently.  I really let my health get out of control.  I tend to stress eat and ignore warning signs.  Well the warning sign began to flash very bright

[maddmaxx ★]

That's Sebastian, not Will.

[jsharr ★]

6 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

That's Sebastian, not Will.

My bad, mate.

[maddmaxx ★]

1 minute ago, jsharr said:

My bad, mate.

True.  It's really bad when you confuse an Australian for a Frenchman.

[donkpow]

Will power in isolation of other issues requires the mindset that one recognizes sacrifice is not a matter for concern. Whatever is hanging you up, forget about it. Of course this is normally recognized as obsessive behavior.

[jsharr ★]

Just now, donkpow said:

Will power in isolation of other issues requires the mindset that one recognizes sacrifice is not a matter for concern. Whatever is hanging you up, forget about it. Of course this normally recognized as obsessive behavior.

Tell me more about the miniature furniture you made in jail.

[donkpow]

1 minute ago, jsharr said:

Tell me more about the miniature furniture you made in jail.

Idle hands are the Devil's workshop. 

[dinneR ★]

11 minutes ago, jsharr said:

That was not true up until very recently.  I really let my health get out of control.  I tend to stress eat and ignore warning signs.  Well the warning sign began to flash very bright

So you recognized it. Good for you. It takes a lifestyle change not a fad diet. Avoid stuff from a box or can.

Getting rid of TV changed me. So much more time to ride and read. 

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. 

[Prophet Zacharia]

52 minutes ago, jsharr said:

So what are your secrets to will power and doing the next right thing, even when you do not want to?

Set a goal, and a reward. Vacations in warm places in the middle of winter are nice incentives for me to keep motivated.

Cycling has a nice built-in reward for weight loss, at least in areas with any climbing. It's nice to see the results in performance as they happen.

I avoid alcohol completely (unless for a specific event/cheat day). A drink or two is not only empty calories, but a case of the munchies for me, especially if I've been restricting myself.

[Tizeye]

Eat a box of Ex-Lax and try to hold it. Now that's willpower.

[late]

 

[Kzoo]

"Any secrets to will power?"

 

Yes but If I told you what they are they wouldn't be secrets anymore, would they?

 

[12string]

Start with small disciplines in life.  One I use is to refrain from foul language when another word will do (except on the hockey rink where another word just doesn't get the idea across).  Took a while to retrain myself.  It's not that it's something you develop into a habit, it's something you actively do.  From there, you learn willpower.

[KrAzY]

I would tell you the secrets of will power, but it is a secret and I can not tell you. 

[petitepedal ★]

Well...if it is important...you will make the time for it. I know for me..I go to the gym right after work..7 pm would not work for me...Some people, it is before work (they are crazy)...drink more water.. 

[Further]

You have to believe in what you're going to more than you miss what you're leaving behind.

[MickinMD ★]

It always helps to have someone looking over your shoulder.  I, a type-II diabetic, dropped my A1c numbers from a dangerous 10+ to a respectable 6.8 while taking classes Medicare paid for through the U. of Maryland Hospital System.  I had to bring in my glucose meter and they'd read all the numbers from its memory.

I finished the program at the beginning of August and have been slipping a little.  I've got an appointment with my Diabetes Specialist in December so the willpower to eat better has recently returned so my meter numbers will consistently look good!

[Longjohn ★]

3 hours ago, petitepedal said:

Some people, it is before work (they are crazy)...drink more water.. 

Did you ever go to the gym at 5am? That would give you motivation, no posers at 5am.

[Square Wheels]

5 hours ago, TrentonMakes said:

A walk around a hospital ward should provide some important perspective.

Have you seen the size of hospital workers?  It's embarrassing. 

Will power starts with forgiveness,  forgiveness of yourself. 

[Longjohn ★]

2 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Have you seen the size of hospital workers?  It's embarrassing. 

Will power starts with forgiveness,  forgiveness of yourself. 

I'm sure there must be some obese hospital workers but I actually never noticed. I have noticed some really nice and really fit doctors, techs, nurses, etc. I have always been impressed by the hospital workers, I'm sure their pay is ok but working with sick injured cranky people all the time has got to wear you down.  I have no complaints about any of the staff when I have been in the hospital. I did experience a nurse when I took my wife to the ER that didn't believe she needed to be there. After several hours waiting they finally saw her and admitted her to the hospital for ten days of intensive IV antibiotic treatment for sepsis in her port. I'm thinking that nurse was just having a bad day and was tired of the welfare moms running to the ER every time they had a sniffle.

[MoseySusan]

The NYT recently ran an article claiming will power doesn't exist, at least not in any long term realistic way. The recommendation was to remove the offending item from your environment and replace old habits with new. My advice for encouraging new habits is to pair something you like with the new habit. For example, I have to develop a new habit of drinking more water, so I've purchased a cutely designed water bottle with a spout because I like to be nicely accessorized,  and now my new water habit is paired with something I like.

[TrentonMakes]

11 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

Have you seen the size of hospital workers?  It's embarrassing. 

Actually I recently spent much of four days [visiting] at the hospital, and I was struck by how fit most of the staff looked.  They seem to practice what they preach.