Yes and no.

Non-paleo food doesn't disgust me. If a cookie is sitting there, I'm going to want to eat it. So from that standpoint, it takes a little willpower.

However, I'm not fighting food addictions and cravings. The cookie isn't sitting there taunting me - once I've decided not to eat it, I can happily go on with whatever else I'm doing and not think about it anymore. Also, other foods have become more enjoyable - I can get the same sort of enjoyment from, say, liverwurst as I previously got from a cookie.

So I guess the answer is that it takes some willpower, but way less than it would have taken before dropping grains from my diet. It's like the difference between turning down an alcoholic drink when you rarely drink vs. turning it down when you're an alcoholic. And that's the part that surprised me most about the diet.

(However, I don't have SAD foods in the house, so I'm not constantly tempted. I applaud you for sticking with it in the face of that!)

This is a very hard question for me to answer...so, I've taken awhile to think about it and reflect on the journey from where I was to where I am now...

In the beginning, yeah, it took quite a bit of willpower and perhaps, most importantly, planning. I chose to go low carb because I had done so many years previously when I was young ( like 21) and Atkins had worked like a charm for me to lose like 12-15lbs really quite effortlessly. I then continued on it for a couple of years and really felt the best I'd ever felt in my life.

However, life rolled on...

At 46 when I found myself roughly 90-100lbs overweight, riddled with illness that all came on over a two year period, anxious out of my gourd and depressed after years of PMS that evolved into severe PMDD. I was in a very not good place. So, I dove back into researching ...reading the newer Atkins, Eades, Heller and Heller and Sugarbusters. And out of the 4, most closely aligned my plan with Atkins, but used aspects of all of them.

With my temperament, it was imperative for me to craft a way of living/eating that did not require calorie or overtly "anything" counting. I am a pretty extreme intuitive type (per Myers-Briggs, Kiersy and Jungian typing) and am a highly inductive, non linear-sequential thinker. I perceive the large picture and have to move backwards/downwards to the "pieces." What works so well for others re: calorie counting, using fitday etc., would be the ultimate torture, poor fit and route to failure for me.

However this doesn't mean that I just ate/eat whatever I want without any observation or quantification on another level. I assiduously studied and learned carb counts of low, medium and high carb veggies/fruits, as well as categorizing glycemic index and glycemic load for fruits and medium and high carb vegetables, so that it became a foundation of working knowlege, that over time required no thinking. From years before with limited eperience with calories, i had a pretty good running knowlege in that area. Sugar in all its hiding places became a major study. I read labels - every label, of everything, that I bought. And I armed myself with what I needed in any situation. In the beginning, I quite literally had to eat about every 3 hours, so I had to have portable food that I could wolf down quickly because of the nature of my work. I also had learn to eat "pre-emptively" sometimes, which was not ideal, but again, was necessary.

In the beginning years, I did far more complex, multi ingredient, "fancy" cooking and had far more involvement with recipe searching, creating "treats" without sugar or grains, and overall, spent alot more time "with food" on my mind and actually concocting sugarless/low carb dishes of all kinds. One of my "greats" was a variety of cheese cakes with crushed pecan crusts, that were "to die for" that my family and others at parties, etc., loved. Now all of this has gone by the wayside, with the exception of holiday events. I cook very simply and evolved into this over the years between 05 and now.

In the beginnng, it certainly took willpower to consistently refuse all kinds of foods in the workplace that for most people were considered healthy snacks. I learned very quickly how to make a statement that conveyed my choice that left no opening for others to push at me. Probably the one that I have used through the years the most and still use is: "Thanks, I don't do sugar."

Like Melissa, I have lived the majority of these years with family (son b4 he married) and now my H., who are NOT low carbers and most decidedly NOT paleo. I realize that I am a bit like Gibbs on NCIS...I crafted my "rules" early on and they have simply been strengthened over time. Also, I am a a great believer in the super powerful effects of investing in change, carefully crafted, and developing habits that become stronger and stronger over time.

And I am a very stubborn person with a very strong will. I may flounder around in the intial stages of the hunt for a solution, but when I get there, I know if it is right for me and I am the woman with the iron will.

I would say to any significantly overweight/obese/morbidly obese person, that your'e going to have learn to be very comfortable being " a committe of ONE." Learning to be comfortable with being the "odd man or woman out" is a great asset!

Another thing I forgot is that after the first 40 or so lbs, I had to also invest time and effort in learning portions, so that this too, became a font of working knowlege to add to the no counting and measuring overtly regime. Of course this also requires a high level of self honesty. We can all choose to fool ourselves and I have certainly done so on more than one occasion!

For me, I feel very grateful to be a low carber, because satiety and being able to eat and feel full (not engorged!) was and is a big deal. It is much less an issue for me now, but is still important. Also, I feel that in general it made it much easier for me to fairly quickly respond to some foods as if they are chunks of cement. There just isn't any real pull the vast majority of the time. This is likely also because I am not a 60/40 or an 80/20 or even a 90/10. I am pretty much a 99.9% LC paleo. I do use splenda in my two cups of 1/2 caff coffee in the am as stevia makes me absolutely gag. And when I eat ice cream (rare) I eat carbsmart icecream which also contains splenda. The last time I had "real" icecream was in 2002. There is no discernable difference for me in Carbsmart icecream.

I believe that the longer you are on this road, the easier it can get. The biggest challenge for me, after getting the eating trip nailed was getting together a movement/fitness trip that would work for me forever and be portable as well. I did nothing but walk daily until I hit my goal in 02.The increments became longer and longer and the intensity greater over time.

I also consider myself sort of blessed that my path into severe obesity was strongly linked with worsening PMDD and an eventual eruption into horrible, unremitting anxiety and depression. Why do i feel blessed? Well because my whole trip is bound up in this and learning to do what i can to ameliorate this. It peaked, not shockingly, when i was very perimenopausal. I found DHEA and bioidentical progesterone, but will not go into that, and no longer use either.

What took me awhile was finding the right exercise piece, which has changed my life completely and is an absolutely crucial piece of the puzzle for me. I probably had to use willpower more for this piece than for any other. In the beginning, it was hard. Now, I look forward to it every day, because i have found (EUREKA!!!!) the right combo for *me.*And I remain ultterly amazed and grateful.

So, what's the answer to the question? My answer is that it isn't so much willpower (for me, now) as it is about paying attention, being very present in my life, approaching my life in a mindful way, ditching all denial about all my crap, understanding my "hooks" and where the big cliffs can be for me, and journeying forward as a stubborn and yet also open, "committee of one."

And lastly, yes, it helps that clean carbing/paleo type eating literally cured multiple health conditions, or brought them down to a minor roar, as with my rosacea. It is also helpful that I had minor relapses when I twice started eating soy baking mixes and low carb/gluten free breads and that scared the shxt out of me.

But even if you haven't had these things...I can promise you this...time marches on..and your odds are very good of getting some of this nasty health stuff if you fall off a cliff into SAD..it's Russian roulette...and from one who has played and suffered, rather horribly...even on what would be considered an excellent "clean" SAD diet...my advice is that we are all not nearly graced as I have been. You don't have to go there.

My philosophy is: if it's not in my house, I won't eat it. So far, it's worked quite well.

a good complement for willpower is planning- that i know you're very good at, melissa...

I just say NO to willpower.

Paleo so I don't have to use willpower. I find that my cravings are much less as long as I don't eat non-paleo foods. I would fail if I had to rely on willpower and have in the past.

Even if I have plantains for example, I don't get bad cravings.

I need will power to change a habit and start a new (positive one). Once I get rolling, I'm good though. I am quite the creature of habit.

I don't see non-Paleo "foods" as food anymore (except dairy). So if I choose to eat something like a gluten-free cupcake, I don't see it as anything that nourishes me physically.

This includes CAFO meats, eggs & dairy--NOT food.

Intermittent Fasting has really helped me to break free of a lot of my old eating habits.

After 10 months Primal (& 2 years of WAP-eating prior to that)--my eating is very intuitive and conscious and my desire to feel good in my body dictates whether or not I choose to eat a "non-food."

I don't think willpower is a huge factor for me as far as the way I am currently eating. I eat to satiety so there's no need to restrain myself in that way. I allow myself up to 100 g of carb per day so there is always room for small indulgences if I truly crave something, but, being that I am still in some degree of ketosis (I get trace ketones in my urine) I don't really deal with cravings for sweets. I feel like 95% compliance is good enough so now and then if I really, really wanting something non-paleo I have it. I think it also helps that I don't deny myself foods just because they "aren't paleo." If something seems to agree with me and there don't seem to be any huge downsides to eating it, I will have it. I eat dairy, corn (fresh only, no processed corn) and occasionally potatoes. I suppose I do need to exercise a certain amount of restraint since I no longer eat big bowls of ice cream or whole bags of chips, but, to me, willpower implies that I am going through a lot of strain and self-sacrifice to maintain my way of eating. It just doesn't feel like that though. It seems to be a fairly easy choice to eat this way because I feel so much better.

My hunch is that the reason it takes willpower for you is that you are restricting calories. It takes very little willpower for me to eat ZC -- otherwise I would never have managed to go this long. But it does take quite a bit of willpower for me to reduce calories, or to fast.

Willpower is necessary. I spent almost my entire life on neolithic garbage and I still have cravings for that even though I may know perfectly well it's poisonous.

I did Paleo 6 days a week and had an all out binge day 1 dedicated day of the week (saturday). after about 2 months, I started getting really bad headaches and carb flu. I got sniffles before, and a small pain behind my eyes, but this was vastly different. Now when I look at vending machins at work or the aisles at a store, I think about that pain. Which I no longer have, ever. Not to mention how great I feel compared to then.

The first couple of months, especially the first 3 weeks or so, required some will power, since I was changing my diet. My hunger signals were off and I sometimes didn't feel fully satisfied after a meal. There are various tricks and tips to get by this relatively short period.

However, now I don't need any willpower at all, I am completely comfortable with the diet. Sometimes I get frustrated when I'm hungry and there is nothing suitably Paleo in the house or nearby (especially true at friends), but I am usually comfortable skipping the meal or having a handful or nuts or a wedge of cheese or something. I've been amazed at the decrease in my appetite, and I can just skip or postpone a meal with no problem at all.

Sometimes I get a craving for something (ice cream or chocolate usually), but very infrequently (say once every week or two), so I just indulge and don't worry about it.

I think if your body is well suited to the Paleo diet (many folks are, but not everyone), switching to this diet is like "coming home" -- I now feel the way that I thought I was supposed to feel but didn't.

I experienced satiety for the first time (in my life maybe, definitely in over 30 years) when I went Paleo. It was actually a rather shocking experience to NOT need willpower to stop eating. To just not want anymore food.

Are you sure you are eating enough fat? That really makes a difference for me. But it also seems like you are talking about needing willpower not to eat too much but rather to not eat things you don't want to which are in your face all the time. In that you have my deep sympathy. If there are any ways you can minimize that, it would definitely lessen the need for willpower.

For me, it depends. It's easier to make paleo choices now vs. when I first started (16 months ago). I have my routines and what I like to eat - so, there aren't as many pitfalls to making good choices.

HOWEVER - I do find myself battling with non-paleo things ALL the time. If it's in my house, I eat it (@sherpamelissa - I'd love to find out how you were able to overlook those things - sheer willpower?? replacement technique? would love some pointers on how to stay away).

I'm also the type that cannot have one nibble. It's either all or nothing. So, if I do loose the willpower battle, I find that I've stuffed myself to oblivion on whatever 'x' food it was.

On a separate note - it's strange - I never used to crave potato chips before and that's my #1 nemesis and pitfall these days. No amount of knowledge of bad oils or processing has been able to keep me away (thus far).

I wonder how much of your experience is shaped by the availabilty of food in your home?

I see will power as nessesary when making a choice to choose a less desirable option. This of course will be depend on personal taste. Some people prefer steak over ice cream while others will prefer ice cream over steak. It is a lot easier to choose not to eat ice cream when there is no ice cream to eat :)

If your home only contains healthy food then there is no choice and will power is only necessary when out shopping or at a restaurant in other words only at specific occasions when alternative options are available.

I think that most people here if you followed them round all day wafting a plate of their personal favorite unhealthy food under their nose would struggle to some extent with their will power.

If you were put in a cabin in the woods many miles from the nearest food store with only paleo foods in it do you think that so much will power would still be needed?

Unfortunately if you live in a house full of tempting junk food you will probably just have to accept the need for the exertion of will power and be glad that you are a determined person.

I suppose willpower does come into play for me, but I find it much easier if I do not cheat at all. If I take away the option for any non-paleo stuff, then I don't have nearly the issues with craving and etc. If I do a "cheat day" or try to eat that stuff in moderation then I fail.

It bothers me when Taubes says that exercise causes hunger. He makes it sound like low carb dieting should be effortless. But what's wrong with making an effort and exerting willpower? I personally have found that being hungry keeps me honest. 50 pounds of fat would not have gone away in 6 months without considerable willpower.

definitly takes a litte will power here and there, the bread calls to me sometimes......

Interesting. At first, probably for the first year or so, paleo took a huge amount of willpower. Now, I can completely and honestly say that if bread, a cookie... is sitting in front of me, I am not the slightest bit tempted. I've actually had a few paleo nightmares, where I was forced to eat bread.

I've consciously decided not to use willpower. I have given myself unlimited latitude to make mistakes. I'm finding that some mistakes I need to make many, many times before it finally sinks in that those are not good choices for me. When I finish weathering the trial and error process with a particular offending food I find that I land in a comfortable and peaceful place where my mind has decided that thing is simply not food. Resistance for me in that past has caused obsession, and I just don't enjoy living in my head when I'm stuck in that mindset.

I think of willpower like a muscle, it can be strong, sometimes very strong, but at some point it will ALWAYS get tired and give out. Muscle alone cannot carry me around, walking, standing, running, and such, all day long. Muscles are not strong enough, but what they can do is hold my bones in place, so those bones, the solid structure of my body, carry most all the weight. This is the role of willpower, it cannot uphold your entire life for very long, but it can hold the 'bones' in place, use willpower to keep the real, solid, structure of life in place. That structure must be a complete, sustainable philosophy that pays you in positive feedback so that it can become habit. Most folk dont need to work on willpower, they need new bones.

Willpower? Staying thin while gorging myself on a fat-fuel based diet is a dream come true!