There is no magic pill for will power. Its all about moderation once I get to the maintenance stage. I had a bad day at work Tuesday, and all I wanted was to eat to feel better. I don't know how to get past that.
There sort of is actually. Behaviorists train kids, dogs, grown ups all the time.. Build in positive feedback into your process as often as possible and people work to get that feedback.
Every time I wake up I weigh myself. Sometimes a few times a day. I totally check myself out in the mirror and suck in my gut. Don't judge me.
Every time I eat something I log it in myfitnesspal and i look at how many calories I have left. I love seeing that I have 950 calories left for dinner. I can eat like a king!
I also track fiber and protein in myfitnesspal. When I have a skyr and some raspberries in the morning and see that I'm already at 15g protein and 10g fiber I feel like I'm on track.
Every time I exercise I add it to myfitnesspal and see that calories left goes up. I eat back my calories from cardio, because it rewards me for doing cardio. I love seeing that number go up so much that I'll power through an hour on the treadmill. People who don't eat back their cardio calories don't get that positive feedback.
I only watch tv on the treadmill . Right now I'm starting season 2 of better call Saul and I'm enjoying the heck out of it. I can't wait to run later so I can watch the next one. I have walked 3 hours to watch a full football game before. I do make some exceptions for stuff like that especially if people are over but I make myself work for it first.
I love clicking complete diary at the end of the day and seeing "if every day was like this then in 5 weeks you'd weigh..." it's an important ritual for me even if I need more than 5 weeks to hit my long term goals. When I get to 5 weeks or less from my short term goals, it's even better.
I also report in with my accountability buddies here that I finished under calories. If I miss i feel like or I have to report it. So I don't miss.
I make short term goals. Right now I'm on a three month sprint from Christmas to Easter. Losing around 30 lbs. I'll add some back easter morning because I have given up booze for this and I'm going to be goofed up on Irish coffee when I set up the easter egg hunt. Dad why are there eggs on the roof?
I make long term plans. I'm down close to 70 of the 100 plus I needed to lose, starting at 284.6 and trying to get to 208.7 by easter which is an overweight BMI instead of obese. Then I'll focus on maintenance for a while, allow myself to put a couple pounds back on while I keep my cardio and lifting going but eat some foods I miss, and then get back to it with a goals of getting to Onederland and maybe even 184.6 for an even 100 lbs down. If I'm going to day dream about weight loss, it's probably thinking through whether I want to do that in one big push or a couple smaller ones. I indulge in the fantasy of being my ideal weight for a little bit but then get back to what I'm supposed to be doing.
I'm constantly looking for these positive moments i can add into my process because they keep me motivated.
I don't bring in food that i dont plan to eat. I buy enough for the meals between now and my next grocery trip and I eat some every day so it doesn't go bad. Today I'm eating the last of my raspberries and skyr. Tomorrow I'll buy more. I'll also buy cooked shrimp that needs to be eaten within the first day or two after I shop. I love shrimp so that's a good thing. But knowing that's my dinner tonight makes it easier to avoid picking at other stuff.
If there's food in the house that's not mine, I make sure the owner knows it's theirs. I'm not going to eat my kid's last slice of pizza. I don't want my wife getting mad that I ate her ice cream.
If it's late and I feel like snacking I brush my teeth. It's magic. I don't want cookies or ice cream after brushing.
I keep adding positive habits one at a time until I feel like I've mastered them and add another. Running. Push ups. Tracking fiber. Tracking protein. Yoga. Buying a bar and resistance band for assisted pull ups. Tracking sodium. Lifting weights. Seeing the results in my weight, in the mirror and on the blood pressure monitor have been hugely motivating for me.
You can do some of the same things. I started at the same age and even fatter than you. Come back tonight and tell us about your successful day then do it again tomorrow. Let's get a streak going.