How to hack my brain to have will power?

[RomeoOscarXrayIndigoEcho]

I'm overweight.

5 stones overweight; as in I'm 15 stones and want to be 10 stones.

I have gradually put this weight on since 2002. I was unwell then and ended up with post viral problems. Now I have long covid.

I used to be very fit (military background) but now everything aches.

I know what to do and how to do it. I've no excuse.

I don't have any will power. If there's food in the house I will eat it. Snacking is my main problem. When I'm busy and focused I can forget about eating.

Sometimes I can eat a breakfast and not need to eat again all day.

Sometimes my mouth gets lonely and I eat for the feeling in my mouth and teeth.

I'm my own worst enemy.

So any tips about developing will power?

It helps to find something that motivates you. Easier said than done, I know. For me it was the realisation that all my size 16 clothes were getting too small. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a whole new wardrobe in a size that I really didn’t want to be! A year later, I have the opposite problem, as all my clothes are now way too big, but that doesn’t feel quite as depressing 😄

I found that reducing the amount of sugar I ate significantly reduced cravings.

Break your goal up into smaller chunks. 5 stone can feel really overwhelming, but 1/2 a stone a month is perhaps a little less intimidating? If you do that 10 times, you’re sorted!

I took some photos of what I looked like at the start, as well as a few measurements (waist, hip). Those photos turned out to be hugely motivational in the following months. It can be so difficult to see progress if you look at yourself every day, so having that reminder of what you looked like at the start is really useful.

Good luck!

I’m 4st overweight. Turned down a day out with friends today as I’ve got nothing to wear in the sun. I’m going to write down my reasons why I want/need to get this sorted but I read somewhere that relying in will power is a bad move. We’re not always going to feel motivated so we need to suck it up and get “it” done. Whether “it” is fixing a bad diet, getting more steps on or lifting weights etc.

I’m going to make this my mantra.

Read ‘Atomic Habits’. In that he says winners and losers have the same goal. The difference between them are the systems and processes they use to achieve the goal.
For weight loss, I think that means what systems you put in place to make sure you can always have a healthy meal. Understanding your snacking triggers and knowing how to avoid them or have a specific routine to follow when your are triggered that brings you out of ‘the danger zone’.
If you know some days you don’t need to snack what are the difference between those days and the days when you binge?

Don't make it about willpower, make it harder to snack than not snack. If having it in the house is a temptation, don't have it in the house. Having alternative habits that you can do when you would normally snack can also help.