Why Diet Willpower Is A Myth | Nourished With Tish

Tell me if this sounds familiar to you:

I tried to go on a diet, but I just couldn’t stick to it

I was so good all day, but then at night, I went crazy and ate everything.

I try to eat well, but I have no self-control.

I think we’ve all been here, right?

We’ve been taught, from very early on, that if we can’t stick to a diet, somehow we’re failures. Somehow it’s our fault: we lack the self-control. We lack the willpower.

So what if I told you that diet willpower is kind of a myth? That when it comes to what you eat, and when, you have a lot less control than you think.

Are you relieved? Or maybe that stresses you out: after all, if you can’t control it, does that mean you can’t make any changes? If the idea that you have no willpower has you freaked out, don’t worry: there’s beauty in this. Your body is hardwired to know what to eat and when, and by unpacking the factors that influence hunger, you can be more empowered to make healthier, sustainable food choices.

Table of Contents

Why It’s Not Diet Willpower—3 Other Factors That Influence What You Eat

1. DIET CULTURE TELLS YOU WHAT TO EAT

Here’s the thing: there’s an entire industry that profits off of you believing that you have no willpower and if there were just some quick answer, you’d be good to go. Diet culture is hella pervasive, and super sneaky. Even health protocols that I see value in (like paleo or keto) have been packaged to be highly profitable, quick fix, 21-day solutions.

And then after the diet? All of the restricting catches up with you, and you find yourself dealing with intense cravings, until you can’t help but dive in to all the foods you promised yourself you’d never eat again. (In fact, about 95% of diets fail, with most regaining back all the weight they lost.)

What Is Body Neutrality?

6 Reasons You’re Always Hungry

2. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCE YOUR FOOD CHOICES

When it comes to our food choices, it goes a lot deeper than lack of willpower. Our lifestyle, background and finances are all factors that influence our food choices. Food costs are a huge barrier for low-income households to eat healthier food choices (1).

And if you grew up with parents that hate asparagus, you might find that you also hate asparagus, because those were values that were taught and passed onto you.

Other factors that influences are food decisions include accessibility (how easy is it for you to get fresh, whole foods), education (your knowledge around food and nutrition), your ability to cook and prepare foods, your family values around food.

Even using food as a form of comfort if often a learned behaviour (how many of us have had parents that give us dessert when we do something good, or buy us a treat when we’ve had a bad idea?). These are things we internalize and will play a part in how we make food choices as adults.

3. YOUR HUNGER CONTROLS ALL (BUT WHO CONTROLS YOUR HUNGER?)

Imagine someone told you to stop sleeping. “Too much sleep is bad for you, so from now on you’ll only sleep 4 hours a day so you can be more productive.” You might be able to do it for the first few days, but I bet it wouldn’t take too long for you to feel exhausted and crash.

That’s because we don’t control how little sleep we need. We just need it.

The same goes for hunger. You can control how much you eat, but you can’t control how much you need. Which means sooner or later, you crash. You can’t ignore your hunger: if you’re hungry, you’re going to eat.

This is where diets fail so hard: they combine limited calories or restricted foods with strict rules. You’re not listening to what your body needs. And your body is actually fully capable of assessing how much food it needs on its own.

And there are so many factors that control your hunger, like:

are your hunger hormones balanced?
- When you eat, hormones like CKK, GLP-1, insulin and leptin are released to stimulate satiety and tell your body you’re full. However, certain foods can interrupt this process so your body doesn’t get the cues its need to say “hey, we’re good here. Slow it down.”
is your blood sugar in check?
what foods are you eating + are they dysregulating your hunger?
- in my 6-week program, The Nourished Body Reset we dive into what foods stimulate hunger and what foods help with satiety. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to learn more!
are you eating enough?
are you getting enough sleep?

What To Do Instead

You just need to tap into that. And that’s two fold:

You need to give up this idea that you can think your way out of what your body needs. You need to learn to trust you body, and give up control.
You need to understand the role that foods (and lifestyle!) play in regulating appetite. Check out this post on 6 Reasons You’re Always Hungry to better understand.

In the next few weeks we’ll be diving deeper into the science of this, so be sure to stay tuned.

Ps. Have you heard? I’m launching my new 6-week program, The Nourished Body Reset: How To Restore Your Metabolism, Stop Feeling Hungry and Find Food Freedom.

If you want to learn how to eat intuitively, trust your body and still work towards your health goals using evidence-based nutrition, this program is for you. Join early, before it launches, and save over 50% on the course—plus you’ll have a hand in helping me customize the course to give you exactly what you want! Check it out here.