Willpower and the NYT: What gives?

Last week, Bev wrote a really interesting post about willpower and fitness. In it, she referenced a NYT article that said that willpower was like money in the bank -- if you spend some of it on one task, you'll have less of it for another. In other words, willpower is finite.

But then, reader Aymon pointed out another NYT article that calls willpower -- at least when it comes to dieting -- a myth. Many dieters think they can rely on willpower alone. When they fail, they blame themselves.

But according to scientists, it's impossible to succeed on willpower alone. Hunger, appetite, emotional eating -- it's all tied up into brain chemicals, hormones, and lifelong habits. (You:On a Diet is an excellent resource to learn all about those chemical reactions). It's exactly why crash dieting doesn't work. Instead, most diet programs recommend behavior modification to help people lose weight. A good example of this is food journaling, where you write down everything you eat.So what gives with willpower? Is it an limited resource or a just a myth created to make us feel terrible about ourselves? I tend to think both articles are accurate. When you're talking about actions (such as committing to your daily workout), willpower is a resource that you can depend on in a limited way. But when you're talking about restricting calories and denying yourself food, well, I think that's a whole 'nother ball game.

What do you think?