When You Struggle with Willpower

When You Struggle with Willpower Fight Back with Knowledge

You know those times when that food, you know you’re not supposed to have, is right in front of you? Those cookies, the ice cream, the bag of chips, whatever it may be. It is hard to say no all the time! Especially when you really WANT it. You usually end up giving in, don’t you?

What if that could change & I told you that your mindset makes the difference? How you view food and what it’s doing to your body can make the difference when you struggle with willpower. It could make the difference in giving in and giving up. Generally, “knowing” something isn’t good for you isn’t enough to help you say no to foods you’ve been in the habit of eating for 20 + years.

Having a visual of what is actually happening to the inside of your body can make a huge difference. Seeing the effects of a loved one suffering from disease and discomfort that could have been prevented can also be a highly motivating factor. Understanding the effects of food may be what you need to start making those changes you’ve been talking about.

Being an informed consumer and knowing what you are eating is the first step to saying no to Little Debbie. If you really want to change your eating habits start with learning why you should change. Take a look at your family health history. Are your parents and grandparents in good health? What about your siblings, aunts, and uncles? Is there a theme of Hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes? Start learning about these diseases so you can be proactive about not ending up with one of them.

READ, LISTEN, GROW

Someone recently asked me, “Don’t you just burn the sugar off?” I laughed and said It’s not that simple. If you “just burned sugar off”, Americans wouldn’t be so overweight, and our country wouldn’t be plagued with rising cases of metabolic disease.

Unfortunately, it’s misconceptions like these that you read on the internet that contribute to the plethora of nutrition misinformation. Nutrition misinformation is fueled by Big Sugar. They pay organizations and big names to keep the truth about what sugar and processed food do to your body. So, when you go type in your questions on Google you get everything but the truth.

WHERE TO LOOK

It’s important to look in the right place when you are trying to learn about how food and nutrition affect our bodies. The best place to start is with a book or podcast. Here are a few of my favorite books, Doctors, Authors, and Scientists:

“Deep Nutrition” by Dr. Cate Shanahan

“Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

Dr. Bret Scher of DietDoctor.com-he has an amazing podcast and YouTube channel

Dr. Robert Lustig

Dr. Ben Bikman

Dr. Jason Fung

CrossFit Journal and CrossFit Health

I know most people don’t care enough to go out and educate themselves on food and nutrition, but if you are reading this, I know you must care a little.

Education is a part of my Nutrition Coaching Journey, and it is my job to teach my clients, not just tell them what to do.