WHY DIETS MAKE YOU CRABBY by Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and the article is published in its entirety. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Send it to mailto:drwallin@drwallin.com

WHY DIETS MAKE YOU CRABBY

By Pauline Wallin, Ph.D

Author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior"

Word count: 668

Copyright Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. 2003. All rights reserved

If you've ever been on a diet you know the feeling of irritability that sets in after a few days. Nutrition experts have attributed this feeling to a physical state of deprivation, such as low blood sugar or dehydration.

While these conditions do have a definite effect on mood, they don't tell the whole story. Consider the fact that you are not ALWAYS crabby when hungry or thirsty, even though your body may be in a state of deprivation.

Diet-related crabbiness stems not just from your body's physical state, but also from mental fatigue. As you know, it takes concentrated effort to change your eating habits. That effort uses up mental strength, which gets depleted.

According to psychological research by Dr. Roy Baumeister and his colleagues, mental strength operates similarly to physical strength. Suppose, for example, you've just spent the afternoon moving furniture. By the time you're done, you don't have much strength left to play tennis.

In the same way, when you've spent the day exercising self-control with food, you don't have much strength left for controlling your behavior in other situations. Thus, you're more likely to snap back at someone, lose your patience easily, or overreact to minor frustrations.

** HERE'S A TYPICAL SCENARIO:

~ You start off the day feeling OK, determined to stay on your diet. This takes some effort. If you've been used to having a donut or sweet roll for breakfast, it requires effort to eat something different. When you turn on the TV or radio you're confronted with food ads designed to make your mouth water. It takes effort to ignore these temptations.

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in Camp Hill, PA, and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" (Beyond Words Publishing, 2001)

Visit http://www.innerbrat.com for more information, and subscribe to her free, monthly Inner Brat Newsletter.

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Cataract Update by Becky Sisk

Cure Your Asthma Naturally! by Ulla Saastamoinen

Stress and Crafting the Good Life by Dr. Jim Manganiello

Fast Food by HSFVitamins

Are Cancer Treatments Effective - The Real Story by Lena Sanchez

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39