Why You Shouldn‘t Say: “I’ll Start Next Week”

Last updated Nov 19, 2020 by Michael Fouts

Read time: 2 min

I’m sure you’re familiar with a saying like:

“Diet starts Monday”

“I’ll start working out again, starting next week”

Either you’ve personally said it, or heard someone else say it. These sayings can be applied broadly from a mindset standpoint, but I want to talk about them as they pertain to diet and exercise. I will explain two reasons why you should rid yourself of this mindset.

  1. The first reason is that it brings on a phenomenon called last chance syndrome. Last chance syndrome is a binge-type event where you do something to excess knowing that you’re going to radically change tomorrow, or the next day. In regards to food, this is very common with people that chronically diet. Before they start their diet they’ll gorge on chocolate, pizza, you name it. I know this syndrome exists, aside from talking with clients about it, because I used to do it; It wasn’t uncommon for me to eat a whole pizza, bag of chips, and a full pack of party size M&M’s.
  2. You’ll continue to do It. If you continue to have this mindset of I’ll start fresh “insert date” then you’ll continue to do it. This is common amongst people who perpetually fall in and out of workout and/or nutrition plans. At some point they “fall off” for whatever reason or frustration, and then commit to “start again next week.” And the viscous cycle continues…

What To Do Instead

If you find yourself consistently doing these stop/start approaches, chances are that your initial plan – or lack thereof – wasn’t suitable for you and your lifestyle. If this sounds like you, take a step back and analyze why this is happening. More often than not the answer is that you’re being too aggressive or restrictive.

Aside from that, stop trying to have hard stop/starts. Start now. Do a little bit better now – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Start with a very attainable goal and look to build on that to build forward momentum, eg. one hour of exercise per week (eg. 1 x 1 hr, 2 x 30 min), and 2 days of tracking food intake – or another food related goal. After successfully completing these goals consistently, build on these goals. Work your way to 2 hours of exercise, 3 days of tracking food…etc.

Another thing that is important is to have some self-compassion. Accept that not everything is going to go according to plan, and that’s ok – that’s life. Don’t get frustrated and get mentally backtracked, like stopping your exercise routine altogether “what’s the point” or reaching for food comfort. Rather, accept these natural hiccups for what they are and and move forward as best you can – however that looks.

The above is just a drop in the bucket into the depths of mindset and the complex, but fascinating, world of psychology and human behavior. I’m definitely not an expert in this field, and you should always seek out a qualified psychologist if some of these issues go deeper and are more complex.

My intention with this post was for you to acknowledge your inner dialogue when you hear yourself saying “I’ll start next week.” Start asking yourself what might be causing you to say that and how you can change things moving forward.

Till next time,

-Mike

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