Yes, you have to really really REALLY want to change. But even after 2 years (and counting) of maintenance, I still find myself feeling pulled to my trigger foods, bad eating habits, and portion control issues. I feel strongly that this a lifelong struggle and I still take it day by day and sometimes meal by meal.

I think this is a great topic and I would love to hear how you feel about it! What do you think Laura?

Yes, I know willpower plays a huge roll for me. I am often pulled towards foods I used to love but it helps that a lot of them don't give me the same satisfaction they used to. A candy bar just isn't the same anymore. I don't eats tons of food like I used to either. I limit myself to a couple of cookies instead of 4 or 5 or more. I don't think I face quite as many battles of will as I used to though because more often than not I know how bad my trigger foods are for me. The only exception might be homemade raw cookie dough but I don't indulge in it often and I know my limits. I allow myself a serving of ice cream at night so I am not susceptible to being overwhelmed by my cravings and I am aware of my portions.

Good for you Laura! I strive to be like that with my portion sizes, and be able to stop at a couple of cookies. For now, I am pretty much not able to do that but my hope is that eventually I will find a way to moderate my portions better. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I agree that this is a lifetime journey. I am finding that there is no arriving point where what I used to deal with is not longer an issue, however, I can help to make it less of an overpowering issue by disciplining my behavior with regard to what I allow myself. I'd like to think that I am doing really well, but to say that would be fooling myself. I must constantly be on guard! Some days I find that if I allow myself more carbs than I should, be it whole grain products, fruits or whatever, I will find that the cravings just increase and I have a battle to stay in control. Therefore, I have not allowed myself the luxury(?) of cookies or such, because I just don't want to deal with all that stuff. Is this will power? I don't know. I just know that I pray every day that the Lord will guide me in all I do and the choices I make, wisdom with regard to what I should eat and strength and conviction to continue to wald the path ahead of me. Am I perfect? Not by a long shot!!!!! This is definitely a journey and it consists often of many trial and error choices. What helps is not condemning myself when I make foolish choices (as I find in retrospect), but learning from my mistakes. Sometimes I am a very slow learner!

Welcome to our little group Marmella! You are so right about there being no arriving point - we are on an path that is endless. I had to take some time to deal with that fact and accept it. It still manages to get under my skin every now again. I want to shout - "I have been so good, look what I did and it is not over! NOT FAIR"

But in the end for the most part I have accepted and now I am trying to "settle in" to a good eating pattern.

Yes, it is a lifetime process. I think that willpower is just one of the tools in my toolbox. Most of the time I have willpower but there are times that the food calls and I answer.