Dedication is Not Willpower
Posted on 7/29/2015 by dsjohndrow
If this journey was up to willpower alone, I'd be 400 pounds by now! There were a bunch of things I tried to lose weight. I tried not eating, eating diet meals, shakes, fads, and I thought of vomiting it back up too.
I just don't have willpower.
Basically I am addict. I smoked too much, drank too much and ate too much. I couldn't fix any of that. I was lucky enough to enjoy sports until I was in college - then I switched to drugs and rock music.
Maybe that was just a generational thing. :)
I tried quitting all kinds of things I started. I just couldn't hold on for too long. And I am pretty strong-willed. In the end, I failed miserably. I always quit quitting.
Even prayer didn't seem to work.
So how did I get out of the willpower trap? I became dedicated. Willpower says I won't _______. Dedication says I will _______. I identified the things that I should be doing instead of concentrating on what I shouldn't be doing.
I stopped making excuses. I stopped giving myself permission to fail.
Instead of dieting I dedicated my efforts to changing my lifestyle. I changed my relationship to food, drink and even exercise. Dedication is a commitment to doing. Willpower is a frail attempt to fight off cravings.
David's Top 10 list of things he is dedicated to:
1: Portion Control - I got a food scale, smaller plates and food tubs.
2: Reading Labels - even though I don't log daily anymore (I did for 3 years), I read a lot.
3: Running - I run 3 days a week, sometimes 6. I do body weight strength training and stretch daily.
4: No Cheat Days - There are enough holidays and special occasions to make for some tough choices.
5: No Junk Food - I do not keep anything junky in the house. If I go for a special occasion or treat, it's out, and it's over and done with.
6: Organic/Whole Foods - I eat mostly fresh fruit and veggies, lean red meat, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy and do everything I can to stay away from food in a package. I still eat canned beans and an occasionally artichoke hearts and olives. Of course, low-fat dairy is still packaged.
7: Weigh In Weekly - No better ways to keep an eye on things.
8: Water - lots of water!
9: Bacon and Eggs - It's my favorite. A world without bacon is boring. So I eat nitrate free from grass fed pigs. I would add that a lot of protein has been essential to my weight loss journey.
10: Regular Check Ups - it seems that the doc is a solid partner for my weight loss and that helps keep me on track.
I do log in here every day to see what everyone is up to. I used to be dedicated to it, but now it is one of my daily routines.
I just don't have willpower.
Basically I am addict. I smoked too much, drank too much and ate too much. I couldn't fix any of that. I was lucky enough to enjoy sports until I was in college - then I switched to drugs and rock music.
Maybe that was just a generational thing. :)
I tried quitting all kinds of things I started. I just couldn't hold on for too long. And I am pretty strong-willed. In the end, I failed miserably. I always quit quitting.
Even prayer didn't seem to work.
So how did I get out of the willpower trap? I became dedicated. Willpower says I won't _______. Dedication says I will _______. I identified the things that I should be doing instead of concentrating on what I shouldn't be doing.
I stopped making excuses. I stopped giving myself permission to fail.
Instead of dieting I dedicated my efforts to changing my lifestyle. I changed my relationship to food, drink and even exercise. Dedication is a commitment to doing. Willpower is a frail attempt to fight off cravings.
David's Top 10 list of things he is dedicated to:
1: Portion Control - I got a food scale, smaller plates and food tubs.
2: Reading Labels - even though I don't log daily anymore (I did for 3 years), I read a lot.
3: Running - I run 3 days a week, sometimes 6. I do body weight strength training and stretch daily.
4: No Cheat Days - There are enough holidays and special occasions to make for some tough choices.
5: No Junk Food - I do not keep anything junky in the house. If I go for a special occasion or treat, it's out, and it's over and done with.
6: Organic/Whole Foods - I eat mostly fresh fruit and veggies, lean red meat, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy and do everything I can to stay away from food in a package. I still eat canned beans and an occasionally artichoke hearts and olives. Of course, low-fat dairy is still packaged.
7: Weigh In Weekly - No better ways to keep an eye on things.
8: Water - lots of water!
9: Bacon and Eggs - It's my favorite. A world without bacon is boring. So I eat nitrate free from grass fed pigs. I would add that a lot of protein has been essential to my weight loss journey.
10: Regular Check Ups - it seems that the doc is a solid partner for my weight loss and that helps keep me on track.
I do log in here every day to see what everyone is up to. I used to be dedicated to it, but now it is one of my daily routines.
After I had lost a bunch of weight, somebody told me they admired my commitment. I told them that crazy people are committed. Strong people are dedicated. It took them a second, but they got it.
Dedication and habits, and allowing ourselves to be human with some failures.
Right on.
Carol
I think you have put together an excellent TO-DO list.
It's also a nice, positive way to make the same change.
The two 'Nos' - 'No Cheat Days', 'No junk food', could be potentially turned into positives.. because these two 'nos' are pretty tough to deal with and often deal breakers.
This is a great quote and spot on and I'm stealing it from you. don't worry...I'll give you credit.