Recently a caller to my weekly radio show asked about willpower. After dieting all week, she “completely lost control” at a Greek restaurant. She asked how to increase her willpower.
Bingeing, overeating or difficulty sticking to a healthy eating plan is not a matter of willpower. Here’s how to take back control:
#1 Stop Dieting
A number of studies (Field, et al., 2003; Mann, et al., 2007, 2015; Purcell, et al., 2011) show that dieting does not result in long-term weight loss. Dieting actually contributes to weight gain.
Diets fail because the anticipation of deprivation–knowing you can’t eat what you want—makes you want it more. Additionally, if you’re trying not to have unhealthy foods such as pizza or pasta or ice cream, you’ve got food on your mind, which puts the focus on what you’re eating, instead of why.
The radio caller was on a diet of what she called “clean” food that she found boring. The Greek restaurant’s cuisine contrasted with the blandness of her diet. She couldn’t get enough because she had not eaten anything yummy for a while. When food choices are delicious, it’s easier to make healthy choices and halt the diet-binge cycle.
#2 Differentiate between physical and emotional hunger
The next time you reach for an unhealthy food, ask yourself if your hunger is physical or emotional. Here are signs of physical hunger:
- Growling, gurgling stomach
- Feeling light-headed
- Getting a headache
When you’re physically hungry, any food will usually do. Emotional hunger is different. Here are signs of emotional hunger:
- A specific food “sounds good” or “looks good.”
- You want to reward yourself
- You want to feel better
To stop eating, as to alleviate stress, manage boredom, or for distraction, it’s essential to identify and meet the underlying emotional need. Think about what you’d say to a stressed-out friend. Probably not, “Have a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.”
Our responses to friends usually involve reassurance, understanding, and compassion. It’s vital to also be a friend to yourself when you’re upset. When you give yourself comfort words, you will feel better and won’t eat for comfort.
The key to stopping stress eating is to address what’s eating “at” you instead of focusing on what you’re eating. Eliminate deprivation, choose palatable foods, eat only when you’re physically hungry, and soothe your emotions. Those steps eliminate stress eating so you can lose weight naturally.
References:
1. Field, A., Austin, S.B., Taylor, C. B., Malspeis, S., Rosner, B., Rockett, H.R., Gillman, M.G., & Colditz, G.A. (2003) Relation Between Dieting and Weight Change Among Preadolescents and Adolescents. Pediatrics: 112:900-906.
2. Mann, T., Tomiyama, A.J., Westling, E., Lew, A.M., Samuels, B., & Chatman, J. (2007) Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. American Psychologist: 62(3):220-33.
3. Mann, T. (2015) Secrets From The Eating Lab: The science of weight loss, the myth of willpower, and why you should never diet again. New York: Harper Collins
4. Purcell, K., Sumithran, P., Prendergast, L.A., Bouniu, C.J., Delbridge, E. & Proietto, J. (2014) The effect of rate of weight loss on long-term weight management: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology: Volume 2, Issue 12, 954 – 962
About the Author:
Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin in a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist who helps women and men recover from disordered eating. Her personal experience gives her a unique understanding of what it’s like to struggle with this issue, and she knows that recovery is possible. Nina provides empathy and understanding, as well as professional and clinical expertise, in the treatment of eating disorders. If you or someone you love has an unhealthy, unhappy relationship with food, she can help!
In addition to her private practice based in Los Angeles, she hosts a radio show on LA Talk Radio and she writes an award-winning blog, Make Peace With Food, and offers “food for thought” on her video series, The Dr. Nina Show. She has contributed chapters in two books on psychoanalysis, and her own book Food For Thought: Perspectives On Eating Disorders is an Amazon bestseller.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of weight management. These are not necessarily the views of Weight Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Weight Hope understand that weight issues result from multiple physical, emotional, environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from a weight concern, please know that there is hope for you.
Published on March 4, 2019
Reviewed by Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on March 4, 2019
Published on WeightHope.com