When Willpower Gives Out, This is Why
When do you feel like you have the most willpower?
Think about time of day, perhaps day of the week (or even time of the month!).
What are some of the things you notice when you start to dig into that a little more?
The last 2 weeks I was having a TON of cravings, and I was trying to figure out what was up. Some things I noticed:
- My period showed up
- Sleep was off. Some nights I was waking up a lot, others I wasn’t in bed for long enough.
- I had unintentionally (and rather unconsciously) lowered my usual carb intake quite a bit and replaced things like starchy vegetables with a LOT of fruit (because PEACH SEASON!)
- Stress was quite high and I was procrastinating on several projects, which led me straight to my kitchen as a form of avoidance. Ha!
- There were some days I wasn’t moving as much as usual. Movement helps keep cravings at bay, both as a form of distraction, plus helping to regulate everything from anxiety to blood sugar.
To clarify a couple things here, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having fruit. I encourage having fruit, especially when it’s fresh and in season!
Sometimes we need to pay attention to how our body reacts, though. For example, over the years I’ve figured out that if I eat fruit like grapes, I start to crave more sweets. Other fruits don’t have that effect at all, and I feel totally satisfied afterwards. This will apply differently to each person.
Secondly, everyone is going to react a bit differently to carbs. Some of us will require more than others, while some people might do better with a slightly higher ratio of fats than carbs. If you haven’t already listened to my Room to Grow podcast episode #17 with Dr. Jade Teta, I highly recommend it. He talks about the effect that carbs have on the metabolism and on women in particular and offers a lot of insight that will change how you think about the way you eat.
Most importantly, on days when you feel like you have NO willpower, pay attention. On days when you feel like you have all the willpower in the world, pay attention. What are the differences between the two? What changes have you made from one day to the next?
Sleep, hormones, stress, movement, exercise, what you ate for breakfast, what you ate 4 days ago, ALL of these things can play a role in how you’re eating and cravings you might experience.
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If this feels overwhelming, you’re not alone.
It took years for me to figure out what worked for my body and what didn’t, and it’s going to take some time and patience for you as well. The good news? Once you figure it out, you’ll know your body better than ever before, and be able to adapt to different circumstances that life throws your way.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
I open up my calendar each month for FIVE nutrition coaching calls so that we can strategize on what’s working for your body and what isn’t. Because this is such an individual process, some DIY guide isn’t going to cut it. Your unique body and situation requires a 1:1 approach, and talking to a coach in real life is what will help you finally achieve a breakthrough that will permanently shift how you think about food, and figure out how to work with your body rather than against it.
Sometimes it takes an unbiased, outsider view to really dig in and point out what we’ve been missing.
