How does self-control work in a diet? That is such a good question. I always figured the reason my ‘diets’ didn’t work was because I had no self control. Luckily I learned something that explains it.
Let’s look at ourselves. If we have a part of us that is self control, what would be the opposite of that? A part that is rebellious? The part that wants to stay up late if someone says you have to get up early. Or wants to eat a dozen hamburgers if someone says you can’t eat hamburgers on a diet. And on and on. Do you have a rebellious side? I do.
All of this goes back to my post ‘Why do you lose weight?‘ If you lose weight because you want to be healthy OR if you want to feel better about the way you look (if you are truly overweight), you have a much better chance of losing it than if your husband, your boyfriend, your mother, your classmates, etc, think you should use weight.
When you hear the words ‘have to’ or ‘must’, this wakes up your rebellious side. The word ’should’ can trigger it also. Your rebellious side doesn’t like to be forced into a behavior nor to be denied what it likes (say chocolate cake). The more you deny your rebellious side its desires or try to force it to comply, the more the rebellious side fights. The end result is a binge (big or small, it is still a binge).
When you go on a diet for your own good, your rebellious side pauses before it acts. When you eat right because you ‘deserve to’ or because you ‘decide to’, you know that you are in control. It is YOU deciding what you will eat. And you can decide to eat a child’s meal at Mickey D’s, both giving yourself a small break and keeping portions in control. You can drink diet soda with it or water or unsweetened tea.
You can gather low fat recipes and use splenda for the sweetener. Use whole grain flour to make mini pancakes. Add turkey sausage with some sugar free syrup. You can have good tasting meals that satisfy your sweet tooth without all the calories. Your rebellious side will love it, and your self control will approve.
I hope this has helped you some in understanding that self-control is not enough to stay on a diet or maintain weight. I suggest you also read these posts in the blog as they complement and expand this post.
Food and Me – Partners in Everything
Losing Weight: Do ‘Diets’ Work? List of 5 Obstacles to dieting
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