13:49:03 Hey friend, welcome back to Concierge Weight Loss. I'm Kara Hackleman, Certified Life and Weight Loss Coach, and this is week 3 of our Overcoming Weight Loss Challenges series.
13:49:13 I keep calling it the Roadblocks Month. So each week this month, we've been talking about the most common challenges, roadblocks.
13:49:20 People face when they're trying to lose weight. Plateaus, emotional eating, and today's topic?
13:49:25 Why willpower isn't the answer? Because how many times have you said this to yourself?
13:49:31 I just need to have more discipline. If I could just get my motivation, my willpower.
13:49:37 I just don't have any of that. I need to get it together.
13:49:40 Does that sound familiar? I used to think that, too. That it… I just wasn't trying hard enough. I wasn't motivated enough.
13:49:47 But willpower isn't something you can just decide to have more of, and it's not endless.
13:49:52 And it's definitely not the magic solution to long-term weight loss.
13:49:56 So let's talk about what willpower. power really is. Willpower is easy when you have all the answers from start to finish.
13:50:04 It's easy when you've done something before, and you know what to expect. You trust yourself, and you're confident it will work.
13:50:13 It's even a little bit easy when it's new and shiny and exciting.
13:50:18 But when your weight loss is new. when it's slower than you like.
13:50:24 When you're still figuring things out and adjusting, that's sometimes when willpower feels hard.
13:50:29 Sometimes, it feels completely non-existent. So, this is my willpower battery analogy. I like to think of willpower.
13:50:38 like your phone battery. When your phone is fully charged, maybe after a good night's sleep, an easy day at work.
13:50:45 Everyone's happy, meals are planned, you've got 100% battery.
13:50:51 You can do anything. Weight loss feels simple. It's inevitable. It's gonna happen, right?
13:50:56 You make good choices, you're motivated, you're focused, and everything feels easy.
13:51:01 But the day goes on. That battery drains. Every decision you make uses a little more of your battery.
13:51:08 And by the time you've worked all day, helped everyone else, answered emails, handled stress, and maybe had to skip lunch to boot.
13:51:17 Now, you're in low power mode. Just like your phone, your brain goes into conservation mode.
13:51:24 It doesn't want to try new things. It doesn't want to spend energy thinking or planning.
13:51:29 It just wants comfort and relief. It wants the same old, same old.
13:51:34 That's when you start saying, I don't care, I'll start over tomorrow.
13:51:37 One night won't hurt. Does that sound familiar? That's not a lack of willpower. That's your brain running on fumes.
13:51:46 Why, relying? on willpower.
13:51:51 you're running on fumes. So, here's the problem. Most people try to build their plan around willpower.
13:51:57 If I can just be good enough, strong enough.
13:52:00 disciplined enough, motivated enough. But that's like expecting your phone to last all day without charging it, watch it all the TikToks and the Instagram Reels, right?
13:52:12 Will power runs out. And when it does, you fall back into old patterns. Just that simple.
13:52:17 You don't fail because you're weak. You fail because you didn't have a system to support you when your battery is low.
13:52:24 So, let's talk about what really gets results long-term.
13:52:28 Here are 3 tools that work even when your willpower doesn't.
13:52:32 Number one, simplify decisions. Every extra choice drains your mental energy. I've seen the best videos lately about decision fatigue, about how maybe the husband's asking, where's the catch-up?
13:52:47 And then, is this food too hot for our baby?
13:52:50 Like, things they could figure out on their own. So, of course it makes sense that we're in decision fatigue. So every extra choice, it drains your mental energy.
13:52:59 So, just take out the guesswork. Decide your meals ahead of time.
13:53:03 Keep your routine simple and predictable. You're not limiting yourself, you're protecting your battery. It's different. Not depriving.
13:53:12 protecting. So, number two, build a supportive environment. Make success easier than failure.
13:53:19 Keep the foods that help you front and center.
13:53:22 Keep those stocked. Plan your snacks, prep your lunch, keep water nearby.
13:53:27 If it is there, you're gonna have to make a conscious decision not to have it, then it would be harder if it wasn't right there and ready for you.
13:53:35 So when your environment. supports your goals. You don't need as much willpower. It's just easy to already make that choice.
13:53:44 You've already made the right choice, the easy choice. So, thank yourself.
13:53:49 Girl, I had my back that day, didn't I?
13:53:52 Uh, number 3. I want you to recharge daily.
13:53:55 You wouldn't expect your phone to last for a whole week without plugging it in, so… You can't expect your weekend to be the only thing that charges you up for a whole week of work, right?
13:54:06 So what charges you back up? Sleep. Yes.
13:54:10 sleep every single night important. Or most nights, right?
13:54:16 quiet time. Having a minute to just breathe and regroup.
13:54:19 a walk, journaling. saying no to something that drains you.
13:54:25 And reminding yourself, I did a great job. It's not perfect, it's not complete.
13:54:32 But man, I got a lot done. I really showed up for myself today.
13:54:37 Those things aren't luxuries. They're made maintenance. They're how you keep your internal battery charged enough to keep going.
13:54:44 If you have a really good habit of plugging your phone in every night before bed.
13:54:49 you have that habit. That's why you're able to keep your phone going all day long.
13:54:55 Because you know you're going to plug it in again.
13:54:57 So these are some of the things. That is the equivalent of you plugging your battery in every night.
13:55:02 So, what is it that's gonna recharge you? Some sleep, some quiet time, a walk, journaling?
13:55:09 Saying no to something, what is it that you need to help you recharge your battery?
13:55:14 Making things ahead of time. Maybe you plan to eat out instead. You're gonna… you're gonna pick something up.
13:55:21 We're already decided. I can't… I don't have it in me today to cook.
13:55:25 And… or I know on Wednesday, that's my late night to work, so Wednesdays are quite often either a crockpot night at our house.
13:55:33 sometimes my husband is gonna be cooking, or we just plan on having something that we can.
13:55:37 have delivered, or I can pick up on my way home.
13:55:41 So, if you take one thing away from today, let it be this.
13:55:44 You don't need more willpower. You don't need more motivation to get the job done.
13:55:50 You need a system that supports you on the days when your battery's low.
13:55:54 When you plan ahead, simplify decisions. care for yourself the way that you recharge your phone.
13:56:01 You don't burn out anymore, or way less often. And then you build consistency.
13:56:07 And consistency, not willpower, is what changes everything. Excuse me. In this episode.
13:56:14 I really want you… If you've been relying on trying harder.
13:56:20 I want to give you a free gift. I have a free guide that'll help.
13:56:24 It's called the 5 Weight Loss Roadblocks and How to Fix Them.
13:56:27 It walks you through the most common challenges that keep people stuck, including this one that we talked about today.
13:56:34 And it gives you simple steps to move forward. So you can grab that for free at CoachingCara.com forward slash roadblocks. That's CoachingCARA.com.
13:56:43 dot com forward slash roadblocks. So, you don't need to push harder. You don't need to be perfect.
13:56:48 You just need a plan that makes the right thing easier.
13:56:52 Because your willpower isn't broken. It's just tired. And tired things don't need punishment. They need rest.
13:57:00 a little bit of simplicity, some structure, some care.
13:57:04 Next week, we're going to talk about how to create boundaries with food and family.
13:57:08 And how to stick to your goals, even when other people don't understand them. You're not going to want to miss that one, for sure. Until then, take care of yourself, and recharge your batteries.