Now that we’ve officially entered a new year, that means more and more people are beginning to set new weight loss goals or embark on an overall health and wellness journey.
It’s a popular time of year for starting diets, but it’s also a notoriously popular time of year when people begin to fall off the bandwagon. This typically has to do with the ‘cold turkey’ mindset and other factors, and it can be really discouraging to get off track. To prevent that, Abbey Sharp, RD, a viral dietitian and wellness content creator, made a TikTok video about one of the “biggest mistakes” she sees people make when starting a new diet, and how to combat it. Read more about what she had to say below.
@abbeyskitchen DONT MAKE THIS COMMON MISTAKE WHEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT OR DIET #weightlosscheck #weightlosstips #newyearsresolution #mondaymotivation #mondaymood #weightlossmistakes ♬ use this if youre gay – alex ♱
Abbey Sharp Reveals The ‘Biggest’ Weight Loss Mistake People Make When Starting A Diet
It’s not uncommon to want to switch up your eating habits this time of year, especially if you feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon. After all, a new year is a fresh start, and many people enjoy being able to cleanse away all of the heavy or indulgent foods they ate over the holidays.
However, when beginning a diet, a change in nutrition, or just starting with a goal of eating better, many people make this “mistake” that Abbey says is one of the most common ones she sees.
“I see so many people plan to start a new diet on a Monday or on January 1st, after New Year’s, and they spend the entire weekend beforehand binge eating all of the ‘forbidden foods’ that they have left in the house,” she explains in her video. “You know, to get them out of the house.”
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Abbey Sharp Breaks Down The 'Last Supper Effect'
As her video progresses, the dietitian reveals that there's a term for this specific habit in the health world, as it's often referred to as the 'last supper effect.'
"It's such a common pitfall in dieting circles that often keeps folks trapped in a vicious binge-restrict cycle," she notes. "They restrict too hard, they binge, then say...I might as well eat all the things now and start my diet again on Monday. Rinse and repeat."
Luckily, there is a way to get out of this habit, and it's not as easy or intimidating as you may think, given that this is such a common 'mistake' people make when trying to eat healthier.
"If you're falling into this habit, it's good evidence that you're probably restricting too hard," explains Abbey. "Try to allow yourself some of these 'forbidden foods' throughout the week so you don't feel the need to cram everything in before they're completely off the table."
