Willpower

Some people suffer from food cravings and urges to overeat or eat junk food. They unhappily succumb to these urges, which become habits. In the face of these urges and habits, dieters assume they have no willpower.

There’s good news, though! Leading experts, at Stanford University and the University of Florida*, now say that willpower is like a muscle—willpower gets depleted (that’s why dieting is more difficult when you’re tired at the end of the day, especially a stressful day) but willpower can also be developed and strengthened with practice. YoDiet is the personal trainer for your willpower.

Our coach calls give you up to seven opportunities a day to “press 1,” to report a diet success. Every diet success should be recognized for what it is—muscle building for willpower. We think it’s about time you got some glory for putting down that last slice of pizza. You are an underdog in the war against chips, cookies, candy, and fast food. And wars are won one battle at a time. Luckily, YoDiet loves coaching underdogs. YoCoach Mike is our resident willpower expert.

Habit Changing

We all know eating habits are hard to change on your own. Luckily, human beings respond to positive reinforcement (e.g., press 1 on the YoDiet phone calls to be congratulated by a YoCoach and earn YoPoints) and even "brainwashing" (coach calls, coach emails, and Rhyme Thyme poems remind you, over and over, how to eat healthy, move more, and “act slim”—our words will become second nature to you). We jolt you out of your bad eating habits, and into healthy eating habits.

Motivation

Yo-yo dieting occurs because dieters hit a weight loss plateau, then get frustrated and abandon their diet efforts. This is no surprise, really, because weight loss plateaus provide no weight-loss motivation for eating well—the numbers on the scale stop dropping and your clothes stop getting looser.

Plateaus are a natural part of the weight loss process. The human body needs to rest and adjust after losing weight. But knowing that weight loss plateaus are expected doesn’t help a dieter stay motivated. That’s where YoDiet comes in—as you ride out the plateau and your body prepares to lose weight again, YoDiet keeps you motivated to lose weight. We keep after you to eat well, and give you positive reinforcement when you do. We take the “yo” out of “yo-yo” dieting!

*Joan O’C. Hamilton, “This is Your Brain on Bargains,” STANFORD 37, Number 6 (November/December 2008): 74.