Is losing weight all about will power?

We all know obesity is a major health problem. It is the view of many of those who are not overweight that this problem is caused primarily by absence of willpower. If only those fat people would just eat less! Unfortunately, as with virtually all chronic health conditions, it’s not that simple. Turns out multiple factors contribute to inability to lose weight, eating too much is just one of those.

Causes of obesity and what to do about it

While understanding something like obesity would seem to be simple, we have come to learn that many things contribute to why people gain weight and can’t lose it: dietary and lifestyle factors (especially sugar-sweetened beverages), poor diet quality, physical inactivity, prolonged screen time, short sleep duration or shift work, and the built environment (the physical characteristics of neighborhoods where people live).

We also know that obesity is associated with higher risk for multiple health conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancers, and even premature death[i]. While “fat-shaming” has a negative impact on those who might need to lose weight and is therefore unconstructive, these increased risks of serious health conditions cannot be ignored: there are often numerous health benefits to losing excess weight.

It was originally thought that gaining weight is caused only by “too many calories in, not enough calories out”. This initially led to restrictive calorie-counting diets, sometimes accompanied by brutal exercise regimes. Some people were able to lose weight, and a few were able to keep the weight off. But for others, this approach led only to constant hunger and a hatred of exercising.

Later, it came to be understood that the human body is capable of adapting to restricted-calorie diets with little fat loss[ii]. Attention then turned to what people were eating, not just the calorie-value. This led to low-fat diets, which in turn fueled an entire (lucrative) industry of low-fat products. But there are now questions about the effectiveness of low-fat diets for sustained weight loss, and even whether they are good for overall health[iii].

It has also been recently learned that exercise regimes alone often do not lead to weight loss[iv]. While physical exercise has numerous health benefits and is vital for maintaining optimal health, it turns out it cannot be relied on for losing weight.

Now there are numerous popular programs for weight loss, such as the Mediterranean diet, paleo and keto, along with some more psychological approaches that focus on changing eating habits. Some come with convenient phone apps, others include prepared meals, menus, recipes, support groups and even coaching. What is noteworthy about these is that they are vastly different, some are high-protein (paleo) or high-fat (keto), while some involve low animal-product consumption along with high proportions of “plant-based” foods (like the Mediterranean diet). This tells us that the question of how to address obesity is still a controversial one.

What about the role of willpower?

Whatever the approach chosen to drop those pounds, most people have to make changes to what they eat. This generally means eating less of certain foods and eating more of other foods.

Is it all about mustering up the discipline needed to make these changes to eating habits?

Well, turns out that some discipline, as well as planning and organizing is probably needed, especially early on.

If possible (that is, if you live alone or have cooperative family members), cleaning out your pantry of unhealthy junk food can be helpful so that you are not tempted to eat it. This will help you establish an early pattern of discipline.

As a coach of the personalized nutrition program Metabolic Balance®, I have also found that a focus on health rather than the scale is a vital contributor to the discipline that’s needed early on. What I mean by this is that when the motivation to lose weight is driven primarily by a desire to be healthier (rather than getting into that wedding dress or looking like you did when you were 20 years old), weight loss goals are more likely to be met.

Even in the early stages of weight loss, people often quickly start to feel changes in their body: better sleep, clearer skin, less joint pain, more energy, and – yes—they want to start exercising and find it easier when they do. These things have the effect of reinforcing and strengthening  the changing eating habits.

But there is something that can interfere with this. Emotional eating is not the main focus here (see the separate blog “Are you an emotional eater?”), but any discussion of weight loss and willpower must refer to it. Emotional eating is driven by something other than hunger, taste or pleasure, or social and cultural reasons (like the occasional Thanksgiving dinner). It is often caused by past trauma, the use of food as a reward or to reduce anxiety or stress.

Briefly, emotional eating involves eating when you are not hungry, eating until the food is gone (rather than when you are full), having a sense of emotional relief after eating and—believe it or not—lack of enjoyment of food. We are all emotional eaters to some degree, but for those who are overweight and have a problem with emotional eating, this can become a barrier to having the necessary initial discipline required to change eating habits.

If emotional eating is preventing changing your eating habits, you could consider getting a coach. If it’s more serious, counseling can also be highly beneficial.

Why is discipline required only early on?

Won’t you always be tempted to eat that whole plate of cookies or that whole bag of Doritos? Won’t this be a lifelong, never-ending battle?

Happily, as new eating habits become established, less discipline is required. This is because our tastes and desires for certain foods are not permanent and can be retrained. So as you get accustomed to eating less bread, pasta, potato chips, desserts (etc.) you have less of a desire for them. This does not mean you will not want them at all. But it does mean you will be satisfied with eating them only occasionally and in small quantities. Conversely, as you eat more vegetables and fruits and other foods you need, the more you will desire them[v].

This is very good news! My Metabolic Balance® clients are often skeptical about this until they experience it themselves. It really is possible to want to eat mainly what you need to eat, though this does not happen right away.

One consequence of the reduced discipline required as healthy eating habits become routine and the weight comes off is that this is the key to keeping the weight off as well. In this way, an effective weight loss program is not a “diet” with a beginning and an end. Rather, it’s a permanent change in eating that actually becomes easier the longer you sustain it.

If you are interested in Metabolic Balance®, the individualized nutrition program I am certified to coach that aims for permanent weight loss, call me for a free 15-minute consultation or book one through the online scheduler.

[i] Hruby, A, J Manson L Qui V Malik E Rimm Q Sun W Willett F Hu (2016) “Determinants and consequences of obesity” American Journal of Public Health 106(9): 1656-62: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981805/

[ii] Martinez-Gomez, M, B Roberts (2022) “Metabolic adaptations to weight loss: a brief review” Journal of Strength Conditioning and Research 36(10): 2970-81: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2022/10000/Metabolic_Adaptations_to_Weight_Loss__A_Brief.39.aspx

[iii] Gora, A (2022) “Low-fat diets: what are the pros and cons?” LiveScience, August 10, 2022: https://www.livescience.com/52851-low-fat-diet-facts.html

[iv] Belluz, J J Zarracina (2017) “Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies” Vox October 31, 2017: https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories

[v] University of California – Riverside (2021) "How diet influences taste sensitivity and preference: Food choice can be regulated to mitigate nutrient deficit or excess." ScienceDaily 15 December 2021: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211215204106.htm