Why don't I have willpower??

[losenotloose]

I recently decided to try and take a break from caffeine, alcohol and sugar but I can't do it! I don't last a day without having one (or even all 3) of them. I can't resist the temptation. Even if I just try and give up caffeine I don't succeed. Why is it so hard to stick to anything?

maybe its too much all at the one time
do it one thing at a time each day at a time

Thing is I want to lose a bit of weight so cutting out sugar and alcohol will help that. I don't like the effect caffeine (or alcohol!) have on me so that's why I want to give that up. I've tried giving just one thing up and it still hasn't lasted. I dunno, it's just so hard.

I’m the same. Dh, dd and I are off on our first family holiday next summer and I’m desperate to want to look good enough ( I need a 5 stone loss) to be in pictures with dd but I can’t stick to a bloody diet. 1lb off, 2lb on, etc.
I’m just destined to be fat!

Give up one thing at a time. Start with the alcohol - that's "empty" calories. That'll help with weight loss too. Be nice to yourself while cutting things out, it makes it a lot easier. Xx

I've lost nearly a stone and cut out all caffeine, nearly all processed sugar and alcohol by keeping a diary of what i don't eat.

Everytime I don't eat one of the things I'm trying to cut out I log it on my phone (just in notes) - somehow it's really motivating to look through the list.

I've replaced tea and coffee with herbal teas - took me a while to find some I liked enough - and I have 1 milky decaf coffee most evenings.

I have some very dark chocolate for when I am really craving some - a couple of squares is enough.

I don't 'diet', but I massively plan what I'm going to eat that day and pretty much always stick to it. It really helps to know what I'm eating next and when.

I have more will power in the mornings, so my day looks like this:

7.30 - herbal tea
10 - 2 pieces of fruit
12 - sandwich and larger portion of fruit
2 - piece of fruit and maybe a few nuts
4 - maybe a handful of nuts and raisins but usually nothing
7 - normal family dinner (we don't eat dessert) but with extra veg.
9 - 2 squares of 85% choc and milky coffee
Probably about 8 cups of herbal tea or water a day

I's taken a while to find out a pattern that works for me. I don't eat any 'diet' food and do have treats as long as they're worked into my plan for the day.

Also, I weigh myself very regularly and currently have a coat that I would like to fit back into hung up visibly in my bedroom for motivation (over summer it was a pair of shorts).

If I slip up I just put it behind me and carry on. Logging everything I eat (mfp etc) doesnt work for me because I just lie

I recently heard about the difference between discipline and motivation.
We're told we need to be motivated which means if we don't feel like it, we think oh I'm not motivated, I can give up.
Whereas what we need is discipline. Where you do it regardless of how you feel about it.
Like I manage to go to work every day even tho I'd much rather fuck about on the internet. That's not motivation, that's discipline.

If I'm thinking about something I have decided not to consume and this thinking goes on for a while I remind my self if I had eaten or drunk it at first though it would be gone by now. So I can sort of pretend I've had it. A nice cup of redbush or decaf tea or good quality decaf coffee also hits the spot for me, other treats such as favourite tv and good books help as well.

First thought, I meant to type.

Alcohol, sugar and caffeine are all addictive. You can’t give them up or cut down using willpower (not long term anyway) - you need to reframe the way you think about them.

Your body is in a constant state of withdrawal from these things, and you take more to relieve that withdrawal.

I read ‘the naked mind’ by Annie Grace - I’ve never enjoyed alcohol since, as I can see it for the drug / poison that it is. I’m now teetotal. The same reasoning can be applied to sugar and caffeine.

I know this seems extreme as you just want to cut down, but it really is easier to give it up completely otherwise you have this constant battle in your head, wanting the things you can’t have until you eventually cave.

Whereas what we need is discipline. Where you do it regardless of how you feel about it.
Like I manage to go to work every day even tho I'd much rather fuck about on the internet. That's not motivation, that's discipline.

I think motivation is important but sometimes it takes a while to experience it. This is because we only experience the benefits of an action or activity when we have started to perfect doing it and have continued to do it for some time. In the meantime discipline to start and carry on is important.