If you're on a quest to lose weight to keep your blood sugar under control, how much willpower do you really need?

In reality, "willpower" is not all it's cracked up to be, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Willpower is the ability to resist eating tempting foods in your environment. But if you rely only on willpower to lose weight, the ADA says, your success probably will be short-lived.

Why? Because the motivation to resist tempting foods can wax and wane over time.

To lose weight effectively, you must shift away from willpower and start to make healthful eating a simple habit instead of an extraordinary task.

You build this habit – and self-control – when you rearrange your food environment and change the way you think about dieting, the ADA says. Your desire to eat arises less frequently and less intensely.

There are several ways to rearrange your food environment for success. Here are some of the ADA's best tips:

Keep away from problem foods by not buying them. If you must buy them for someone else in your household, put them out of your sight.
Keep a variety of healthful low-calorie food choices visible (in your pantry, on your counter, or in your fridge) and easy to eat (veggies already washed or cut, for example).
Don't go long periods (more than 4-5 hours) without food, because this can lead to excessive hunger, food cravings and a greater tendency to overeat.
Choose lower-calorie foods.
Engage in activities away from food.

Compiled from 101 Weight Loss Tips for Preventing and Controlling Diabetes ^[1] by Anne Daly, Linda Delahanty and Judith Wylie-Rosett. Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.