The best way to ward off these binges, said Heatherton, is to distract yourself by taking a walk, or by avoiding tempting situations in the first place. For example, don’t walk past the pizza place on the way home, or eat a high-protein, high-fat meal early in the day so you won’t be ravenous by noon. Relying solely on willpower becomes a no-win situation over time because it fades.
Dr. Heatherton is currently studying mechanisms to boost willpower, the same way we build muscles by lifting weights. For now, he says the best hedge against diet failure is to manipulate our circumstances so we can stick to our resolutions.
You experience a sort of decision fatigue through repeated use of self-control. As a result, that tempting food looks even more tempting than it really is after your self-control has been eroded.“www.2daydiethall.com
This breakdown in our self-regulatory system explains why people go on over-the-top food binges after strict dieting (such as in bulimia), or why a drug addict goes on a three-day bender after staying sober for a long period of time.