Dieting and WeightLoss

Weight Watchers is a very good website. It contains info like this:

NOTE: If you are considering using the diet or weight loss plan below, you should also consider using EVEROMA as a willpower aid. No diet plan or weight loss program will work unless you have the WILLPOWER to stick with it!

Book Exclusive: Is Willpower the Key to Weight Loss?
By Dr. James Rippe MD and Weight Watchers 11/4/2004-->

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Book Exclusive! WeightWatchers.com is running exclusive chapter highlights from the new book, "Weight Loss That Lasts: Break Through the 10 Big Diet Myths." Written by cardiologist James Rippe, M.D., and Weight Watchers, the book takes us behind the curtain of science to explore the myths that prevent us from achieving sustainable weight loss. By separating myth from fact – misleading medical dogma from science truths – the book helps us break the hold myths have over our own lives to achieve lasting weight loss.
Highlights from Chapter 3, "Is willpower the key to weight loss?" tackling the myth that the success or failure of a weight management effort is simply a matter of willpower.
Successful weight management, that is, losing weight and keeping it off, requires a commitment. Some people call this commitment "willpower." You have to commit to making smart choices and sticking to your choices for weight loss to be successful.
Willpower is a part of weight loss, but to believe that people who are overweight simply lack willpower is, in one word, wrong.
Just Part of the AnswerMany people, when describing their history of weight loss, talk about the vast amounts of energy spent on exerting willpower. If weight loss does not occur, or more commonly, the weight that is lost snaps back, the blame is put on a lack of willpower. This pattern is self-defeating. Getting over the hurdle of believing only in willpower and into the process of establishing a comprehensive method is critical to achieving lasting weight loss.
Holding BackLet's define one aspect of willpower as the ability to hold yourself back from eating or overeating, particularly when you're around food. Weight-loss scientists call this "dietary restraint." Dietary restraint describes how tightly a person regulates her or his food intake. For example, highly restrained dieters are very precise about how much they eat. You may be surprised to learn that a very high level of dietary restraint is associated with obesity, not with successful weight management, and also is linked to lack of success in weight-loss attempts. How can high levels of dietary restraint be connected with excess weight? While all of the specifics are an intense area of scientific investigation, the simple answer is that high restraint levels cannot be sustained for extended periods of time. Invariably, the restraint is abandoned and overeating occurs. The flipside of dietary restraint is dietary disinhibition, which means lack of inhibition when it comes to eating. High levels of dietary disinhibition also are associated with obesity and lack of weight-loss success.
Restrain, But Be FlexibleIf dietary restraint is linked with overweight and unsuccessful weight loss, and dietary disinhibition likewise is linked with overweight and lack of success, what is the best way to be? The answer is to find the middle ground, with a strategy called flexible restraint. Flexible restraint means putting a moderate level of control on your eating. Your eating plan needs enough structure to give you the security and comfort that you are in control of your eating. On the other hand, the plan needs enough flexibility so that you won't feel trapped, deprived or restricted by overly strict rules. The key is to find the balance between control, or restraint, and flexibility in an eating plan that is not so rigid that it is impossible to stick with.
Willpower versus "want power" Managing your weight means finding the balance between willpower and "want power." If willpower is defined as the mental strength to set limits for yourself, "want power" is your desires and motivation, the forces that drive you to behave in a certain way. "Want power" is not just about food; it is about your entire weight management strategy. Before you select a weight management program, have a talk with yourself about what you want (want power) and don't want (will power). Select a program that will help you be successful by satisfying your wants (within reason, of course) without requiring superhuman amounts of willpower.
Motivations ChangeHere is a really surprising research finding – how motivated a person is at the beginning of weight loss has nothing to do with whether weight loss will be successful. We all know people who are very gung-ho when they decide to lose weight. And we are shocked when they do not achieve lasting results. What happened? The explanation is that there is a difference between short-term and long-term motivation. Short-term motivation describes what is motivating you right now. Long-term motivation is the bigger picture. A person can be motivated long-term by the prospect of better health or by being able to deal with food in a healthier way.
Strategies Need PlansAchieving sustainable weight loss requires a map, or specific plan. While adopting a long-term mindset is very important, it also is important to break down the process into a specific plan by writing guidelines for yourself. Some people use a datebook, others prefer electronic organizers, and many go low-tech with a piece of paper or index card. You can include everything you're doing for the day: regularly scheduled appointments, appointments with doctors and dentists, and also activities related to weight management, such as exercise sessions and weekly meetings. Creating a schedule, and following it, helps you rely less on willpower to get through the day.
The Bottom LineYou may not be able to learn how to have more willpower, but you can learn skills and techniques that make following a weight-loss program less stressful.
NEXT STEPS
These excerpts are just a sample of the in-depth scientific information and practical advice offered in "Weight Loss That Lasts." You can learn more about the book and find out how to order a copy now online.
Ready to start losing weight?