All seemed to be going so well!  The first 2 or 3 weeks went by and your will power just kept supporting you in that new exercise plan, and helped you ignore foods that weren’t on your diet.  The first few pounds are already gone.

But then. . . . 

That cake, or chips, or cookies, or french fries suddenly is a bit harder to ignore.  A bit harder to refuse as well.

What just happened?  

Will power was able to over-ride your unconscious patterns for awhile.  But now it is getting tired.  As feelings of deprivation start to set in, and excuses for ending this “torture” sound better every day, will power starts to give out.  

This is completely Normal!  Will power is only designed to last for about two to three weeks.  Data about New Year’s Resolutions supports this timeframe.

This two week window is the perfect time to start doing some inner fun work.  Those unconscious patterns that served you when you were 3 years old but don’t really serve you Now.  Modifying those patterns, ending cravings, cutting out emotional sources of eating.  That’s the process that makes the diet into a lifestyle.

It’s funny, when you clear those things up, looking back it suddenly looks a lot easier.

When you don’t have to fight with yourself over whether to order the side of french fries, it’s effortless to choose the salad.