Why dieters are doomed on Tuesdays

Monday doesn't have to mean deprivation to kick off weeks of weight loss
By Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 1:19 p.m. ET Jan. 12, 2007


Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
• Profile
• E-mail
What day of the week did you start your most recent diet? Chances are it was a Monday.

Forty-six percent of people in our recent study said their last attempt launch a weight-loss plan started on a Monday morning.

Now, do you remember when you called it quits on that dieting attempt?
For 31 percent of people, the miserable experience is over by Tuesday evening.

Like most New Year's resolutions, Monday morning diets are doomed despite our very best intentions. That's because both are based on deprivation.

No matter what you're denying yourself — carbohydrates, fat, red meat, snacks, pizza, breakfast, chocolate — you are setting yourself up for failure. It doesn't make much difference whether we are deprived of affection, vacation, television or our favorite foods. Being deprived of what we enjoy most is no way to live. It puts our nerves and our willpower on a hair trigger.

Instead, go back to where it all started.

Beware creeping calories
No one goes to bed skinny and wakes up fat. Most people gain (or lose) weight so gradually they cannot really figure out how it happened. They do not remember changing their eating or exercise patterns. All they remember is once being able to fit into their favorite pants without having to hold their breath to get the zipper to budge.


msnbc.com