Psychological Fatigue
We all know dieting takes a toll on us physically. We get tired, irritable, and hungry. But have you ever thought about how psychologically draining dieting is? You’re constantly thinking about tracking, weighing, calories, macros, working out, getting your steps in, portion control, and it goes on and on and on.
I always say most of my job as a coach is just to keep people going. Keeping your head in the game is the hardest part of it. Having that extra layer of accountability and having a cheerleader with you on your journey is so much more helpful. But it is also my job as a coach to tell you when I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be dieting or when it’s time to take a break. Here are some of the things I look for when deciding if my clients are psychologically fatigued:
Irritability: Duh, you’re going to be irritable when you diet (less food = more anger), but more than just generalized irritability, this is something a step beyond that. It’s getting in the way of relationships, it’s causing you to become less patient with your spouse, your kids, your job, etc., and creating a real problem.
Lack of interest in your goals: Where once your goals used to excite and motivate you, now you don’t really care so much about them. Hitting that goal weight, getting better results on blood tests, fitting into your dress, is suddenly not important to you anymore.
Obsession with food: You are obsessed with foods. You can only think about salty, fatty, crunchy, sugary, goodness and think of almost nothing else. You frequently binge on these foods and then guilt trip yourself.
Mindlessness/lack of focus: You are just going through the motions on your workouts, mindlessly snacking, not super focused on tracking, or just “guesstimate” on portion sizes.
Inconsistency: You’re overall inconsistent with your program. You hit all your workouts and then some one week, and then the next week you don’t do any. You hit your macros perfectly one day and binge the next.
Self-sabotage masked as self-care: This is a big one. You start thinking your binges, missing workouts, having an extra scoop of ice cream, etc. are forms of self-care. “I deserve this!” you think. If you find yourself justifying any behavior contrary to your goals with the phrase “I deserve this”, it’s probably time for a break. Your goals have shifted for the time being.
I want to make it clear that there is absolutely no shame in being psychologically fatigued when dieting. Dieting is an unnatural process for us modern-day humans. There’s no wonder it’s going to feel draining. Just know when it’s time to take a break. Reframe your short-term goals and take care of yourself. It’s just time to maintain your weight and step away from it for a little bit.
How to avoid psychological fatigue
Psychological fatigue, just like physical fatigue, is inevitable. Eventually, you’re going to need a break, you can’t (and shouldn’t) diet forever. However, there are a few things you can do to help make the process a little easier:
1) Don’t drop calories too much too fast, or only drop for a short amount of time.
When I diet, I like to get in and get out. I do a couple weeks of sharp deficit, and then come back up to maintenance. It lengthens the process and makes it so it takes a little longer to get to my goal, but I know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I can always keep saying to myself “Well, it’s only two weeks”.
2) Don’t label foods as “good” and “bad”.
Good and bad foods all depend on context. A donut would normally be classified as a “bad” food to most people, but it might be just the thing you need to hit the spot and allow you to continue with your diet.
3) Have a starting and stopping point.
You need to be able to tell yourself there’s an end. If you just plan on dieting forever with no end in sight, it gets exhausting. Stick to that end date, even if you’re not at your goal. Take a short break and then come back to it.
4) Live in and get comfortable with the grey area.
Learn to forgive yourself if something doesn’t go perfectly. Missed a workout on Monday when you were planning on it? Fine, do it on Tuesday. Overate yesterday? That’s ok, adjust your calories today. There’s always a fix to any problem. If you constantly keep holding yourself to an unrealistic standard of perfection, you’ll constantly keep feeling like you’re failing and starting over again. That’s exhausting.
If you are constantly struggle with knowing if you just need a little push or you’re psychologically fatigued, reach out to me. You may need a coach to help you avoid mistakes. Apply to work with me here.
