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Originally published September 20 2015

Expert: Relying on willpower alone is a sure way to diet failure

by Jennifer Lea Reynolds

(NaturalNews) An estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet annually, spending a whopping $33 billion on weight-loss products to achieve their slimming goals. Unfortunately, it's no secret that many of these people eventually stray from their healthy habits, giving into several slices of pizza or check-out aisle candy bars. They often chalk up their inability to stay on track to having a lack of willpower, saying they can't exercise self-restraint when an eclair is staring them in the face.

However, weight loss expert Dr. Sally Norton suggests that the notion of willpower should be tossed to the curb; she maintains that it's basically an outdated thought that fails to address the real issue behind a dieter's urge to reach for unhealthy foods. "So many people think they can just cut back on food and rely on willpower to lose weight," Norton says. "Unless you understand your 'who, where, why and when' weak spots, your willpower will fail you – guaranteed."

How the four Ws can help dieters achieve weight loss goals

Instead, the four Ws Norton references are thought to be significantly better ways to achieve weight loss. They encourage dieters to delve into the reasons behind overeating or gravitating towards unhealthy foods so they can stop themselves from engaging in the diet failure cycle. A better understanding of these triggers, according to Norton, is much more effective in achieving weight loss than dabbling in willpower nonsense.

Here's a closer look at how the four W's can help people who are trying to lose weight:


Willpower has been an outdated myth for years

The idea that willpower is a moot point for dieters is not new. More than a decade ago, a New York Times article reported on the topic and noted that many professionals considered willpower a dieting myth. "There is no magical stuff inside of you called willpower that should somehow override nature," Dr. James C. Rosen, a professor of psychology at the University of Vermont, said in the article. "It's a metaphor that most chronically overweight dieters buy into."

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk
NYTimes.com






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