Is it will or is it skill?

Every dieter has had some failures. And most likely, he or she blames lack of willpower for it.

But what if willpower doesn’t exist? After years of dieting, I’m beginning to think that it doesn’t. Here’s why:

Since learning to cope with a slow metabolism earlier this year, I’ve been losing weight fairly easily, at about 1.5 pounds a week. But I rarely spend time battling my thoughts over whether or not to cheat. I’m losing at a great pace—without willpower.

In my experience, there may be another recipe for success, besides the will to lose weight. Here are the six things—a combination of strong motivators and lots of planning—I attribute to my success:

• Seeing results. The success I’ve had so far motivates me to keep going.
• Dealing with less-than-stellar consequences. Seriously nasty diseases loom in my future if I don’t lose weight.
• Having a treat budget. I allot some calories for a bit of dark chocolate every day, so I’m not totally deprived. (And I won’t dive into a bag of Dove bars, either.)
• Starting big. Eating a big breakfast satisfies me most of the day, so I don’t even think about food.
• Sticking to the plan. On weekends, I plan my meals for the week ahead, and I email my plan to someone for accountability. What’s for dinner? It’s a no-brainer. I’ve already got the plan, the recipes, and the ingredients ready to go. If I know I’m going out, I even plan what I’m going to order the weekend before.
• Keeping up with workouts. I also plan my workouts on weekends for the coming week. No. Brainer!

But I’ve still wondered: Did I start doing all these things because I had the will to lose weight, and now that the plan is in place, the willpower is taking a backseat? Or is willpower the magic ingredient that constantly makes all this work, kinda like The Force?