How to Diet at Christmas According to Psychology
By: Elizabeth Dawber
Tags: Health, Diet, Psychology, Christmas, Advice

Dieting at Christmas can be difficult. Either you stick to your diet but then you may regret missing out on all the delicious food, or you can forget the diet for a few days but afterward may regret the weight gained (or at least weight not lost). How do you choose?

A recent study titled ‘The ideal road not taken: The self-discrepancies involved in people’s most enduring regrets’ published by the American Psychological Association, looked at what people do when they are faced with 2 options, both of which they want equally or are at odds with each other. It is a scenario that often results in regrets because whatever option you choose, you’ll regret not having chosen the other option.

However, the study also highlights a way we can better choose between 2 options to minimize the chance you’ll regret the option not taken.

How to choose?

Psychologists Davidai and Gilovich who lead the study explain that in this scenario it’s about damage limitation. Essentially, we need to consider what option we will be better able to live with afterward. This helps to minimize regrets for 2 reasons as shown in the following scenarios.

Consider this: Jane is on a diet. She decides that she will break her diet over Christmas because she would rather enjoy the food on offer and be able to eat what everyone else is eating. She knows that this may mean weight gain and although it is not ideal she is prepared to accept it for the short-term enjoyment she will have at Christmas. Having made the choice she enjoys all the food she wants without feeling guilty. In the new year, she weighs herself and finds that she has put on 4lbs. She does not regret her decision though because she is confident that she would have regretted it much more if she had not been able to enjoy the food over Christmas.

Now consider this scenario: Paul is on a diet. He is presented with lots of food over Christmas and feels sad for missing out. Eventually, he gives in and eats the food. He does not enjoy it because he knows it is ruining his diet. In the new year, he weighs himself and finds he has put on 4lbs. He regrets having eaten the food which he didn’t enjoy that much and now he has to work harder at the gym too.

There are 2 positive outcomes in the first scenario. Jane has made a decision beforehand based on how she knows she will feel afterward. This has eliminated or at least reduced her regretting breaking her diet. In addition, it has allowed her to enjoy the food knowing that it is a choice she has made for the right reasons.

On the other hand, Paul did not plan ahead and was led by emotion. He suffered twice in this scenario because he did not enjoy the food at the time because he felt guilty for eating it. In addition, he put on weight and regretted that too.

Let’s look at this from another angle.

Consider this: Tom is on a diet. He decides that he will stick to his diet over Christmas. He will still be able to enjoy some food like meat and vegetables and he is also allowing himself 1 sweet treat as his diet permits this occasionally. While the rest of the food looks delicious, he is happy in the knowledge that when the new year comes his diet will still be on track and this is more important than eating extra food. In the new year, Tom finds he has lost 4lb which is in line with his diet goals of losing 2lbs a week. He does not regret the food he didn’t eat because he feels much better having stuck to his diet and lost weight.

Now consider this: Sarah is on a diet. She eats only salad over Christmas. She wishes she could eat the food that everyone else is eating and feels constantly envious. While she sticks to her diet she is not happy. In the new year, she has lost 4lbs, this does not make her happy either because she regrets missing out on all the nice food over Christmas and this affected her mood negatively at the time too. The weight loss was not enough to make up for what Sarah felt she lost out on.

Again, it is clear to see that making a decision beforehand has provided additional willpower and satisfaction with the choice Tom made. Sarah on the other hand regretted what she did because she had not considered how her choice would make her feel afterward.

Decide for yourself

Will you regret it more if you eat what you want but break your diet for a few days or will you regret the couple of pounds you gain more than the enjoyment of the food at the time?

There is no perfect answer here. In an ideal world, we would be able to eat what we want and not gain weight. However, as studies have shown, the simple act of making a choice based on what you can better live with will then reduce the likelihood that you’ll regret that choice later.