"Oh dear! I really did not intend to eat that lovely big slice of pizza. Guess there goes my latest health-kick. Oh well, what the heck! As I've already blown my diet, I may as well have another slice. Oh well. Now I've really gone and blown it. What the heck! Oh well. May as well have a third slice... or was that actually my fourth?"
Does this scenario sound familiar? Then you've probably experienced the “what the heck effect” for yourself. You might just think you could have a little nibble, a mere taste, a single mouthful… and lo and behold the next thing you know your self-control has vanished completely.
Not withstanding the fact you normally wouldn’t consume an entire tub of ice cream – but for whatever reason you’ve already fallen foul of your own new goals, so yep, you think “what the heck” may as well plough on, armed with spoon in hand, after all what’s done is done.
The "what the heck effect" is well known to dieticians, therapists, life coaches and the wider medical profession. In fact, there is actually a more formal name for it–Counterregulatory Eating–but that’s a mouthful in itself and so we’ll stay with the "what the heck effect" here.
Your lack of self control around food may stem from how denial of certain types or quantities of foods make you feel–so, tucking into our pizza again; if one slice makes me happy, surely two must make me twice as happy? And so on, and so on.
Your lack of self-control can lead you towards a cycle of binge eating with it’s own associated issues and broader complexities. Maybe you have some self-esteem issues about the way you look, about how you believe others perceive you.
In fact, sometimes people who overeat feel like they must play a role – the larger than life character, the super consumer always hungry, ignoring or unaware of their feelings of fullness. Finally you might just love food, the more the better and hang the consequences. But as we all know, there are consequences. Eating too much and taking too little exercise will make you become overweight and increase the risks to your health. Fact.
How can you avoid the ‘what the heck effect’?
Number 1: don’t go on a diet! Odd, I hear you cry, but bear with me. Dieters often become so anxious about following the ‘rules’ of their diet that they can become overwhelmed, then disheartened, then deflated, then defeated all together – what the heck, where’s that pizza, I’ve just been on a traumatic diet!
Furthermore, if you are on one of the more extreme diets, your hunger cravings could actually drive you to munch more than you intended–or need. I have always maintained you should not simply aim to lose weight, you should seek to gain health.
Simple tips:
• Try to eat more slowly and learn to understand what your body needs instead of what you’re momentarily craving.
• Plan your meals, have fun, be inventive, try new flavours and ingredients.
• Eat regular, healthy, tasty nutritious meals that sharpen your brain and feed your body with goodness.
• Learn to cook.
• Exercise – no matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch!
The only time you need say "what the heck" is when you’re looking in the mirror and you can’t believe what you’ve achieved for yourself.
About the writer
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Russell Hemmings is a renowned cognitive |
