Earlier this week, I hosted a webinar on real solutions to emotional eating and overeating where I addressed many of the questions and challenges readers shared with me on this topic.
One issue that came up a lot was willpower. When I begin working with a client, it’s pretty common to hear a lot of frustration about their prior lack of success. One thing new clients often complain about is not having enough willpower and feeling like they have let themselves down.
“I should be stronger.”
“How can I be so disciplined in the rest of my life and so out of control with food?”
It seems to make sense. See, when you are used to creating success by working hard and persevering, that tends to become your “go-to” strategy. Many of the women I work with actually have an incredible capacity for willpower in the rest of their lives. It just doesn’t work when you combine a stressful day, feeling exhausted, and a pan of brownies on the counter. If you rely on willpower, it will always eventually let you down.
One of the secrets to success that I shared in my webinar this week was this:
Focusing on willpower will burn you out and leave you feeling upset with yourself. It’s not a long term strategy for success (we all have our limits), and it’s no fun to have to be vigilant and on top of things all the time. In fact, it’s pretty exhausting isn’t it?
There’s a different approach that works much better. It’s not based on deprivation and what you “won’t do.” It’s based on transforming your relationship with food.
Transformation not deprivation—doesn’t that just sound delightfully better?
If you are stuck in the willpower and deprivation mode, why not try stepping off the hamster wheel (that’s taking you nowhere), and transform your relationship with food into something that you don’t have to constantly fight.
In the webinar, I shared three steps to making peace with food that you can start taking today. In fact, I even took you through a two minute activity that will start you on the path. You can go here to register and gain access.
Take good care,
