The What-The-Hell Effect

Written by Michelle Shelton

Feb 5, 2023

Intuitive eating researchers have used the phrase “the what-the-hell effect” to describe a very common experience among many dieters. In short, this is where a food restriction will eventually lead to overeating that food. It may be after months of successful dieting or avoidance. I heard someone today describe how she loves “treats” and so she totally avoids them because she can’t just eat one. This is a perfect example. Restrict or binge. Finding something in the middle feels too challenging.  It can also be preemptive, where the mere thought of restricting a food leads to cravings and overeating. I reached this point in my own dieting journey. I would decide I wanted or needed to lose weight, plan to start “eating healthier” (i.e. restrict certain foods, only eat at certain times, and only allow prescribed portions) and immediately I would be over hungry and wanting to eat, seeking some satisfaction to compensate for the foods I was restricting. 

I love to think about the “what-the-hell effect” from a systems perspective. All systems seek balance. Ideally, the parts of a system balance in a more neutral stance, generally leading to healthier outcomes. But if one part of the system begins to polarize or become extreme, other parts are forced to also polarize in order to maintain balance. 

Let's take this systems framework and apply it to eating.  In a more neutral and balanced system, you might commonly find two parts. On the one hand, you have the desire and need to eat. Food is essential to fuel all of the vital processes of your body. It's a way to connect with others, a social experience. And it tastes good! It’s pleasurable to eat. On the other hand, you have the need to feel good in your body. This might manifest as a desire to eat foods that leave you feeling strong and energized, or to eat enough food to leave you energized but stop before the feelings of lethargy or heaviness that come from eating too much. This is a healthy balance. Both parts are necessary and both parts have important roles to play.

A more polarized version of these same parts might look like this. The very good and vital part of you that wants to feel good in your body might take on an extreme belief that to feel good, it needs to be a certain weight or look a certain way. These extreme beliefs lead to extreme behaviors, such as food restrictions and dieting. The system has now become imbalanced with the polarized “feel-good-in-my-body” part pushing against the part that wants to eat. This eating part is also a very good and vital part that seeks to nourish you and connect you with other people and positive experiences through food. But because its balancing part has become polarized, it too must polarize to re-balance the system. It begins to desire food any chance it gets.

The polarization can work the other way, as well. The eating part that seeks food as a source of nourishment and pleasure may begin to use those experiences as a way to escape difficult emotions. It may take on extreme beliefs that it needs to eat not because the body needs nourishment, but to escape or to self soothe. To balance the system, the feel-good-in-my-body part may begin to restrict, or may just take on feelings of guilt or self-loathing. 

These polarizations may achieve balance, but it isn’t a pleasant or even effective balance. It is more of a tug-of-war, or a seesaw. One side wins for a while, until the counter force pulls the system to the other extreme. (Think yo-yo dieting.) Or the two extreme parts try to co-exist in the system, leading to internal conflict and anxiety. 

The only way out of this cycle is to ease the extreme polarization on one side to allow the counter polarization to ease. Start noticing the polarizations and the extreme beliefs behind them. Notice with compassion and curiosity, withholding judgment. Get curious about the role these polarizations are playing and what they are trying to protect. They want to help. Notice them and appreciate the role they have played. Give them space to let go of the beliefs that they needed to protect with these extreme behaviors. As these burdens release they will return to a more neutral stance. This week, just spend time noticing and see what you discover.