Is weight loss all about self-control?

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  Posted by Elissa Tue May 27, 2008 11:30am PDT

  Very little has to do with self control. It's about people not having enough time and money to exercise and eat right. The worst foods for you are the easiest, cheapest and fastest to make.

  Maintaining your weight isn't hard if you have enough money and time to buy healthy foods and prepare them. Most people don't. Sure you can cut out calories, but then you're also cutting out nutrition. I could get my daily amount of calories from two cinnabons or something, but then i'd die.

  I have two hours in the day to exercise, I have a boyfriend who cooks me healthy meals. This is why I'm thin. I have little self control. I really try and only eat one serving of cookies or ice cream a day, but it's hard. Actually, I try to eat none, but that's not gonna happen :P

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  Posted by Jackie D Tue May 27, 2008 12:17pm PDT

  I agree with the above comment that in many cases being overweight is an issue of time, money, and perhaps under-education. I currently live in a very working-class neighborhood and it's hard not to notice that A)generally speaking, crappy food reigns supreme - a million McDonalds and NO farmer's markets and that B) many people are ill-educated, have a large number of children, and have very little money. They are also generally much more overweight than in the higherclass neighborhoods in the area. Of course, when one can't afford to buy much food, the cheaper, quicker option will always be taken. So where it costs $3.99 a lb for asparagus, 4 bucks will provide and entire meal at McDonalds and there's no cooking involved. In these repects, certain people are much more disadvantaged when it comes to weightloss and healthy eating.

  That being said however, I think self control and discipline do play a big part. It's a matter of priorities. Albeit there are certainly cases such as those mentioned above where people really just can't afford to eat well and cases of people with eating disorders (binge eaters) or illnesses like hypothyroidism and etc. but that isn't the norm. Gernerally I think most people just expend their self discipline in other areas of their lives and healthy eating and excersise fall by the wayside. For example, consider thought processes like the following: "I'm going to stay late at work and kick my butt to get this project finished"... then later, at home... "I deserve to eat a bunch of ice cream because I was so dedicated at work today." That's an issue of discipline certainly. People tend to see food as a reward in and of itself. It takes self control to change these sorts of associations. In my case, I work very hard and still make sure to go to the gym and prepare healthy meals. After all of it, when all is said and done, I have about an hour to read at night before I go to bed. In fact, where one person might see ordering food in and watching a movie as a good way to unwind from the day, hopping on the treadmill and running is one of the only ways I can really get my mind off work and switch into relaxation mode.

  Now I suspect most people will see this and think... ok, she's just crazy, most people don't like excersise or find it relaxing at all. A while back I would've agreed. I've only really become this way in the last year or two because for a few months I wanted to lose a couple pounds and forced myself to go to the gym after work etc. It was a total chore in the beginning but now it has become my reward for a day of hard work. This is where self discipline comes into play, I think. It takes self discipline to make new habits and to change one's attitude towards health, food, excersise etc. People just tend to put other concerns first. So while it's true that maybe self control isn't the end-all-be-all answer to why people become overweight, it certainly plays a big part in reversing the situation.

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  Posted by JoLynn Braley, The Fit Shack Thu May 29, 2008 9:33pm PDT

  Hi Elissyann,

  I agree with you that it's not all about self-control and that the non-nutritious stuff is sometimes cheaper but in my experience I always spend more on the processed and fast foods than I do on whole, regular foods like chicken breasts, veggies, fruits, and whole carbs (like brown rice). The most expensive part of my grocery bill is spices but I don't buy them all the time.

  Problem for me is that if I eat the processed gunk it just makes me want more and more of it, so I buy more. There's so many addictive ingredients in that stuff (main ones being refined sugar and white flour) that they set the public up for buying more of it. I spend 3 to 5 times more on food when I'm eating processed (including eating out) than I do when I'm eating clean, but that's my experience. :)

  I also am very busy like you and most other people, but I really can't enable anyone by saying that you're too busy to eat healthy and exercise, and there are creative ways to spend less on food (I shop at Costco a lot). If we buy into the thought that "there's not enough time or money" then where does that leave us? Without a solution, and if you don't allow any excuses, you can lead a healthy lifestyle.

  One other tip - grow your own veggies. I'm growing tomatoes and peppers in pots and others in the ground - pot growing is really cool because you can do it if you're in an apartment - just another tip to save some $$ on those clean eats. :)

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  Posted by JoLynn Braley, The Fit Shack Thu May 29, 2008 9:45pm PDT

  Hi Jackie,

  I do agree that there are many people who are uneducated when it comes to nutrition and it doesn't mean that it's only people in poorer neighborhoods - over the past 30 - 40 years the way we eat has changed more than it has in the past 1000's of years of history. Processed, dead food is everywhere and it's easier but it's also very unhealthy, filled with high amounts of salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and very little nutrition.

  Leading a healthy lifestyle is a matter of many different aspects going beyond the simple "self-control" including educating yourself on just what's in processed food, learning how to eat healthy, whole foods, learning if you're an emotional eater (the example you described of going home and eating ice cream as a reward is emotional eating, not discipline), learning if you're addicted to ingredients such as refined sugar, white flour (and more), and learning more about yourself - where your head and your spirit is at when it comes to changing your lifestyle.

  Yes, there are neighborhoods that don't necessarily have access to better food choices as easily as others, however I again would never limit anyone no matter who they are or where they live by saying that that's just how it is and it could never get better. This would get into an entirely different topic of the power of the mind and your thoughts, however you have definitely illustrated how weight loss is not just about self-control. :)

  It sounds like you're doing a great job with changing your lifestyle to make exercise a priority - I bet you're setting a great example for others in your life whether they tell you this or not. :) Keep it up!

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  Posted by lucky Wed Sep 3, 2008 9:50pm PDT

  I agree that "self-control" is not a factor in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. All the people who are successful in the professions you mentioned have one thing is common. They followed a plan. They obtained their educations, did their apprenticeships, built up their clientele,etc.

  A healthy lifestyle is no different. We must get informed, develop a sound eating plan and adopt an exercise routine that fits our schedules.

  There are great resources out there to help us achieve this, your blog is one of them.

  Thank you.

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  Posted by Optionshift3 Sat May 2, 2009 5:21am PDT

  definitely true...Weight loss easier when you get paid for it...cheers

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