What the Hell

Some time ago, I read an article in TIME Magazine (I think it was TIME but don't quote me) that discussed obesity and its relationship with the human brain.
A topic of particular interest was the so called

Ermm... Sorry Mar, not in this case

"What the Hell" effect on humans.

It goes as follows:

Me: "I can't believe I just ate two of those powdered jelly donuts! Wow, my entire day of eating healthy is completely down the drain. Alright, what the hell, since I've already messed up the day, another donut isn't going to make a difference!"

nom nom nom nom 

Me: "Jeez, three donuts?! I can't stop myself. What's the use in stopping anyways, I've just eaten my weight in sugar, butter, and jelly. I might as well have a fourth donut."

nom nom nom nom 

Me: "Ok well this is getting out of hand. Since I'm a fat lard and can't stop eating, I might as well enjoy the moment and eat everything in my sight."

And so begins three hours of nomming...nom nom nom nom

If you've ever found yourself in a similar scenario such as this--and trust me, this happens quite frequently every time I go over to my friend Weronika's house--then you have just experienced the "what the hell" effect. You mess up your diet a little bit and then you just keep telling yourself it's alright to continue eating. 

This happens to me a lot. When I feel guilty about overeating, my emotional eating starts to kick in, and to compensate for my feeling guilty about overeating... I eat some more. Peanut butter seems to always be right at my fingertips at times like these. 1 spoonful... then 2... then 6... then half the jar is gone. Then I say, what the hell let me finish it! And so I do.

But PEOPLE! You and I both have GOT to stop doing this to ourselves. I feel pangs of guilt for the next WEEK after a binge attack like this one. 

So how to avoid it? Well first off let me just say, I suffer from this horrible lack of self-control very frequently, so these are just my own tips. But we all make mistakes. It happens. ESPECIALLY during the holidays. Oy veh, I can already tell this holiday season is going to be a tuffy. But let's stick it out together. Here are some of my tips that work..... sometimes.... 

1. DO NOT starve yourself during the day so that you can "enjoy" a big meal later. Seriously, doing this will just make you glom on everything in sight at your big meal. It will make you WAY overeat. I know from my own experiences that the days where I eat very little, are the days where I end up binging at night. So stop doing it!


• Instead, just eat normal healthy meals during the day. Don't under-eat, (obviously don't overeat either) but just keep your portions controlled. Then at your big meal, indulge in a couple of things, don't ever finish your entire plate of food, drink lots of liquids, and even if you go over your calorie limit for the day, it will only be by a small amount. That's different from starving yourself and then binging at dinner and eating 4000 cals more than you wanted to eat.
2. Plan ahead! If you know you're going out to a restaurant or somewhere where there are easily "what the hell" triggering moments, first go onto the restaurant's website and look at their menu online. Then, pre-decide what you're going to order so you have no trouble deciding at the restaurant.
3. If and when you think to yourself, Oh damn, "what the hell" effect is taking over, calm down. Take a step back. And observe. Say to yourself, I deserve better than this. Then, grab the last cookie or piece of cake, put it on a plate, and take it somewhere far away from the rest of the food and enjoy. If you're at a table and can't get up, then gracefully place your napkin on your plate, sit on your hands, and order a cup of tea.
4. If you do slip up, just be aware that eating that peice of cake DOES NOT give you an excuse to eat another. Yeah... that extra slice WILL make a difference, don't say it won't. Would you rather feel guilty about overeating an extra 300 calories, or an extra 1000 calories. That's a lot more time you'll have to spend on the elliptical...

-Emily