Will power, Shmill power - a replacement concept!

There are times when I feel so in control of my eating, exercise, sleeping, and other habits that I can barely remember why it ever felt difficult to put my health first. And then there are those other days, when every decision feels like a struggle. You want to eat all the things. And you can barely remember how you ever felt in control of your health.

Is it because will power comes and goes? What is will power really, anyway? I kind of don't believe in it. Yes, I believe that discipline and good decision-making are central to living a healthy life. But it doesn't require a superpower to live within these parameters. And if you're hungry, at an office luncheon with a looming 1pm meeting and the only thing to eat is pizza and cupcakes, does it make you a bad person for choosing to eat some pizza even if it wasn't part of your eating plan? This is real life, people. I think it's unfair to say we lost our will power when faced with a practical decision.

By the way, people with far more credentials to speak on this have suggested that the body can physiologically resist weight loss for various reasons, and can sabotage even the most well-intentioned people.  Will power, shmill power.

So, today I propose we stop worrying about will power and replace the concept entirely with being planful. If you've planned ahead, you won't have junk in the house tempting you when you feel like a snack. You'll have a salad or some hummus in the fridge at work for those days when you can't get out before your 1pm meeting. You can limit, practically eliminate, the situations in life that require so-called will power just by being prepared (those girl scouts really know what they're talking about!).

For more on this, here are a couple of good articles to check out:

• The Myth of Will Power from A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss
• The Myth of Will Power: The 3 Step Guide to Long-Lasting Habits by Vanessa Bennington