Why Self-Control Isn’t Willpower (and How it Works Better)

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Many of us equate weight loss with exerting self-control.

If presented with a carrot or cake, those of us with self-control will choose the carrot, right?

That choice will, in turn, lead us closer to our weight-loss goal, and we’ll find success, correct?

Not so fast.

A recent study from researchers at City of London University turns that notion on its head.

Choosing to eat the piece of cake instead of the carrot doesn’t mean you lack self-control, the study found.

Rather, it’s about how much of the cake you ate. If you can choose to have a smaller slice and know that it won’t derail you from your weight loss goals, then you exhibited a healthy measure of self-control.

And in the long run, that may give you an even better chance of reaching your goals.

That’s because we often associate self-control with willpower when the two, in fact, are mutually exclusive.

A healthy measure of self-control, as the study illustrates, involves what you know and believe about the choices you make.

Willpower, on the other hand, involves trying to fight against a complex interactions constantly taking place in your natural biology, brain chemistry, genes and lifestyle.

Trying to use willpower to achieve your goals is a recipe for disaster. You can only fight your natural instincts so long, and when you do inevitably make a poor choice, it can easily spiral into feeling like a failure and giving up altogether.

Self-control is different in that it incorporates making better choices one small step at a time.

You can then build on each healthy choice to create habits that will last a lifetime.

Diet-to-Go’s chef-crafted, portion-controlled meal plans can help you do just that. They don’t seek to deprive you, but rather help you understand balanced nutrition and proper portion-size.

They also bring the convenience of healthy meals delivered right to your door or available to pick up fresh.
There are plenty of options across all four meal plans: Balance, Balance-Diabetes, Keto-Carb30 and Vegetarian. If you don’t like something, you can substitute it at no extra charge.

It’s literally the easiest way to build those healthy habits and achieve your goals.*

View the menu here.  

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Author: Caitlin H
Diet-to-Go Community Manager

Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about engaging with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key, and people will have the most weight loss success if they engage in common-sense healthy eating and fitness.

 

Psychology & Weight Loss

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