Ever planned ahead to start a diet on Monday and the weekend leading up to THAT Monday you overeat and binge on your “guilty” pleasures? Did you make sure to have all of the foods that you “couldn’t” have on your diet and devoured them like it would be the last time ever? Yeah, that is a perfect example of the last supper effect. 

Many chronic dieters get caught up in this cycle. Your body prepares for “famine” with your new planned diet, so of course it makes sense to binge before hand. But, why does this happen?

To begin, the anticipation of beginning a new diet can lead to overeating. Research has shown that restriction around food is linked to overeating. Research was conducted on two groups, one being the control group and the other group was told they were to participate in a week-long low calorie diet. They were told this news right before tasting and rating cookies. After the tasting and rating, the dieting group ate more cookies compared to the control group that was not told they would be dieting. 

Crazy, right?! How many of us have planned a diet and gone all out beforehand? I’ve been there and done that, but little did I know that psychologically I had a desire to eat more. 

So, if over-eating is engrained in us from uttering the words “Diet starts Monday,” what can we do to break free from the last supper effect? Here are a few tips on what you can do:

Eat For Pleasure

When you ditch dieting and food rules, you free yourself up to approach food from a pleasure and satisfaction standpoint, rather than from a moral standpoint (guilt and the morality of food is another blog post in itself!). Have you ever sat down at a restaurant and wanted to get a cheeseburger but ended up choosing a salad? You thought about that cheeseburger once you got home and even days later. What if you had just allowed yourself to have ordered the cheeseburger? What if you had ordered a side salad and then got the best of both worlds? How much more satisfied would you have been? 

We are taught from a young age that food is either “good” or “bad.” We typically associate fruits, vegetables, and salads with good and place french fries, ice cream, and carbs in the “bad” category. Food is food! Food is not good vs bad and YOU are not good vs bad because you decide to eat one thing or another. If you are stuck in the dieting mentality, and continue to view food as good vs bad then you are probably choosing your meals based on those feelings. So instead, try choosing a meal that sounds pleasurable and satisfying. You may be shocked at how you eat or feel after the meal. 

Ditch Dieting For Good

We all know diets don’t work, but they are so hard to break up with. Think about something that brings you comfort and safety and then someone asking you to get rid of it. It’s hard, I get it! If you have dieted for most of your life, then dieting may give you that sense of comfort. Stepping out and letting go takes a lot of courage, but YOU CAN DO IT! So many people had wished they had stepped away from dieting earlier in life but were not sure how to do so. 

So, let’s talk about it! The first step in Intuitive Eating is “Rejecting The Diet Mentality.” Take that leap and tell yourself, “No, I’m not starting a new diet this coming Monday.” Try and listen to your body and let it guide you. Are you hungry? If yes, eat. Are you full? If yes, stop eating. Are you craving ice cream? Buy a carton and eat some. Are you allergic to shellfish? Stay away! Your body knows what is best for you and what it needs. You are your own nutrition expert. Not some company that sets you up to fail and profits off of it. P.S. That’s why the diet industry is worth $78 billion dollars.

As I said above, it is hard to break free from this cycle. I get it! I used to start some new healthy trend on Mondays, and guess what? They didn’t last. Just know, you are not alone! If you are ready to find food freedom and ditch dieting for good, consider working one-on-one with me or any other non-diet registered dietitian. I would love to hear from you and set up a free discovery call. 

References:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/opinion/culture/dieting-covid-weight-loss.html

Urbszat D., Herman C.P., Polivy J. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet: effects of anticipated deprivation on food intake in restrained and unrestrained eaters. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002 May;111(2):396-401