Here's Why You Should Stop Saying "Diet Starts Tomorrow"
How many times have you told yourself “my diet starts tomorrow”?
Leading into the New Year, everyone is talking about starting a diet in January. Juice detoxes, fasting, the carnivore diet, the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet, a raw food diet and plenty more. But here’s the catch: planning an intense diet in the near future (without support to make it sustainable!) can trigger out of control eating for some of us. It’s called The Last Supper Effect.
WHAT IS THE LAST SUPPER EFFECT?
The Last Supper Effect refers to the urgent impulse to overeat by a lot more than usual knowing we’re about to swear off food in an upcoming restrictive diet. It’s that moment you find yourself deep into a packet, tub or box of food (hello ice cream!) and somehow justifying it because well, the diet starts tomorrow (or in the New Year). Yes, it can feel embarrassing, shameful and trigger guilt. But, it’s also normal. Turns out, humans respond to any form of scarcity or deprivation by “stocking up”.
WHY IS THIS UNHELPFUL?
1. Hunger and fullness signals are ignored
When hit with The Last Supper Effect, hunger and fullness cues are often ignored. We easily eat past fullness and reach that physically uncomfortable, even painful, state. You might hear inner dialogue like “might as well have that extra piece of cake because I know I won’t be able to have any tomorrow.” Or, you may find yourself eating when not even hungry, but just for the sake of it.
2. The Diet Cycle is triggered
After that moment of overeating and guilt? More often than not comes a promise to restrict eating or start dieting. This is where things become pear shaped. Because dieting feeds back into overeating (which feeds back into dieting!) and starts a vicious cycle called The Diet Cycle. Cue exhaustion, frustration and a poor relationship with food and body. Learn more about how The Diet Cycle takes a toll on your health in our free e-book Ditch Dieting Forever.
3. Zero progress towards your health goal
When overeating, particularly on indulgent foods, the net effect tends towards eating more energy than what our bodies need. And, lower nutrient intake overall as these foods are often low in the essential vitamins, minerals and fibre we need to thrive, feel good and optimise our health.
IF NOT DIETING , THEN WHAT?
Instead of going through the holidays with the intention to diet, take sustainable and realistic steps right now. A wonderful starting point? Mindful Eating. In stark contrast to The Last Supper Effect, mindful eating involves paying attention to the present moment and eating in a purposeful and non-judgemental way. It allows you to better honour your hunger and fullness cues and enjoy the festive season. Without the heavy burden of knowing there is restriction ahead. The best part? It creates a calm and clear headspace to identify a few simple healthy habits to build before new years. Come next year you will be ahead of everyone else. What a feeling that would be.
Take it from us, letting go of the threat of an unsustainable New Year diet is the best starting point towards your health goal this time of year. The next step? Connecting with expert support to find the right doable nutrition strategies for your unique lifestyle. And that’s what our team are here for. Book your first Dietitian appointment with us today.
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