Willpower!

[Shetland]

I have none.
Seriously - where do you get it from?!

I don't have much weight to lose but I do eat faaaar too much sugar, and I just can't stop.

I can go a day or two but then I lapse and I'm back where I started.

Stupid thing is - I know I feel better when I don't have it.

Any tips please?!

Hi Shetland, sugar isn't a problem with me but other things are. How much would you like to lose? I could do with a stone at least. Maybe we could support each other?

Can I collapse here weeping. I do really well in the week then the weekend is a sugar fueled orgy of badness and I am back to square one. I have a stone to lose as well. I just get stuck at 11 stone every time. Where can we get some precious willpower from?

Think of something you want more than sugar.

At the time I want the sugar. Then later on I want to be slim. The one desire never seems to override the other.

My motivation for staying a healthy size has nothing to do with being "slim"

its about avoiding the chronic joint pain I suffer if my weight goes back up

its about wanting to be healthy and free from medication for as many more years as possible (I'm nearly 50)

you need to find something you want that will be jeapordised if you stay overweight and unfit

That's the trouble. I am not really massively overweight. I look ok, it doesn't jeopardise my health in any way, I am fairly fit so can keep up with the kids etc. I'd like to drop a stone but it wouldn't matter to anyone if I didn't. I go round in circles.

Actually, it's not about willpower. Sugar is hugely addictive, plus the fact is that if you eat a lot of carbs (aka sugar), your blood sugar will drop quickly and significantly, which makes you hungry again.

Best thing is to try and cut your carbs/sugar consumption right down, so that your blood sugars stabilise, and you'll stop feeling so hungry.

I made the decision to lose weight after piling it on over a couple of years, i just stopped buying and eating crap.
I know what every cake, sweet etc on the market tastes like, i don't need to eat them anymore.
I keep a food diary, plan my meals a week in advance so I'm not thinking about food everyday, i eat whats on the planner and that is it, job done.
My willpower comes from remembering how bad i felt after eating too much sugar and never feeling like that anymore.

I can relate to pretty much everything busyboysmum has said!

I don't look too bad. I am 38 weeks pregnant but haven't put on too much weight and have previously lost it fairly easily afterwards.
It more of a health thing, and knowing that the amount of sugar I get through cannot be doing me any good.

So you went cold turkey popcorn ? is that the best way then? I've been trying to cut it down, but if its addictive then maybe that's where I'm going wrong?

I have noticed that on the days I have a can of coke or similar I then generally eat more for the rest of the day.

Trouble is - if I don't have the Will power to cut down then how the hell can I manage cold turkey?!

It's hard to give up carbs - or, in reality, cut them right down - you still need carbs, but you get them from vegetables and salad.

You need to find something you can replace them with, without reaching for artificial/processed alternatives.

And you have to really want to give up the sugar too!

Yes, i went cold turkey, it was easy and now i can't believe the amount of sugar i used to eat!
I always used to say i had a sweet tooth when actually i was just a greedy bastard!