Why Willpower Leads
You to Eat Chocolate
 By Penelope Melas-Lee,
Author of the E-book What's Better Than Chocolate?

It's 7pm. You've just had a wonderful, nutritious meal. And then it begins. Chocolate enters your mind. You think about your weighing scale. You try to push the chocolate out of your mind. But it bounces right back. About twenty seconds later you find yourself standing up. Ten seconds later, you're headed for the fridge. Five seconds later, there's the crackle of chocolate foil.

Is it possible to stop at this stage? And how is it possible never to get to this stage.

Winning over temptation
As the chocolate moves closer to your mouth, you call upon your strength to stop in mid air. You are precariously balanced between staying on your diet and giving in to the desire for that treat. As it moves closer to your mouth, your willpower kicks in and stops you before the chocolate touches your tongue. Relieved, you put the chocolate back into the fridge. You came close to giving in and feel good at your ability to resist temptation. You are worried that it’s only a matter of time before you go too far.

Is willpower your friend?
You are relying on willpower to keep you on your diet. Your willpower says, “Don’t give in to eating CHOCOLATE!” Your desire says, “Eat CHOCOLATE!” You end up focusing on eating and not eating chocolate. Both thoughts grow larger in your mind. Soon, you have an internal struggle which has you trapped between only two choices. Imagine this struggle happening across an entire year and you end up back where you started.

A better alternative to willpower
Using willpower over and over again will keep you in the same struggle with staying on your diet. Here is an easier method for achieving your weight loss goals: the six steps for Finding Your Triggers for Overeating tool. These steps will help you to stay on your diet without having to rely on super-human willpower.

Step 1: Write down the situations that trigger you to eat chocolate
Instead of eating choclate, you need a better way to deal with your thoughts that tell you to go off your diet. The first step is to recognize the situations where you have the repetitive thoughts about eating chocolate. This starts to put the brakes on the thoughts that are saying, "don’t eat chocolate -> eat chocolate ->don’t eat chocolate -> eat even more chocolate.”

Step 2: Inhibit your desire to go and eat those foods like chocolate, cookies, ice cream, etc.
Give your self a little breathing room by resisting the temptation for a few minutes. With this room, you can see and feel what is driving the thoughts that are saying, “Eat chocolate!”

Step 3: Sense your underlying emotions
What often drives the desire to eat chocolate is feeling stressed, upset, or uncomfortable. By sensing any uncomfortable emotions that are under the surface is a step that most chocolate addicts never get to. This step shows you what is driving your desire to eat chocolate. The next step will help you reduce those thoughts that are driving your desire.

Step 4: Feel and express your emotions
The next step is to sense the underlying emotions and allow them to come out. You may find one or more of the following: anger, fear, sadness, grief, worry, frustration, anxiety, overwhelm, panic, or emptiness. Allow yourself a few minutes to feel and express any emotions that you find. Instead of pumping up your desire, you are taking the pressure off. If you feel blocked in expressing or feeling your emotions then ask for help.

Step 5: Get a facilitator to help you express your emotions
Releasing your feelings by yourself can be difficult if you are not used to it. Expressing your emotions may be easier when another person you trust is helping you. Having a trained facilitator can help you express and release the emotions underlying your feel-good eating habits. A skilled healer or facilitator will help you to feel safe and accepted no matter what you are feeling or expressing.

Step 6: Test your new tool in a similar situation
The next time you are in a similar situation like the after dinner desire to eat chocolate, use the steps above to find and feel what is driving you. Instead of willpower to fight a desire that gets stronger and stronger, you will be taking all the steam out of the desire. After going through the six steps, notice what happens with your thoughts about eating chocolate. After you express the underlying emotions, do you feel a difference in how strongly you are tempted by chocolate? After a few times, most people find that they have much less compulsion to eat those forbidden foods not on their diet.

It’s 7pm after your nutritious meal
You are thinking about chocolate. Instead of pushing the thoughts out of your head, you let yourself check in to what is triggering these thoughts. There may be a situation that you are concerned or bothered by. Instead of going to willpower, you sense any emotions that are around this situation. Once you find the emotions, you allow yourself to feel and express them. The thoughts about chocolate in your mind get quiet. You go past the fridge without the temptation to go off your diet.

Diet willpower leads you eat chocolate. Drop willpower.
Use the Finding Your Triggers for Overeating tool instead.

If you haven't done so already: (That's a clue!)

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©Two Frogs Healing Center. All Rights Reserved.
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Penelope Melas-Lee is a licensed acupuncturist and Sufi Healer in Maryland. She is co-founder of the Two Frogs Healing Center in Frederick, Maryland. She has specializes in helping people to lose weight without willpower. She also supports women through their challenges in relationships, aging, and speaking from the truth in their heart.

Note: This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is generic and for general information purposes only, and is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any condition, illness, or disease. It is very important that you make no change in your healthcare plan or regimen without researching and discussing it in collaboration with your professional healthcare team.

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