This Weight Loss Jedi Mind Trick Is the Opposite of 'Dieting'

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know it’s not a seamless process. Life, stress, and pizza have a sneaky habit of getting in the way.

Luckily, new research out of Cornell University has discovered where a lot of people go wrong. Scientists analyzed 43 published international studies that involved nutrition messages that were negative (i.e. “don’t eat ice cream”) or positive (“eat more fruits and vegetables”) and found that those that were positive were overwhelmingly more effective.

Cornell scientists termed them the “do” vs. the “don’t” messages. Surprisingly, they found that “don’t” messages tend to work best with experts like dietitians and physicians, but the opposite was true for the rest of us. Basically, when it comes to food, we’d rather be told what to do.

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Why is this type of messaging so effective? People just respond better to positive messages and reinforcement, says psychiatrist Gail Saltz, MD, author of “Becoming Real: The Stories We Tell Ourselves That Hold Us Back.” “Rewards for good behavior are more efficient than punishment for bad behavior in shaping behavior,” she tells Yahoo Health.

Since it can be tough to alter eating behaviors to help with weight loss, she says using positive reinforcement, like buying a new outfit after losing weight, or reminding yourself of what you actually get to eat while on a diet, feels more like a reward than a punishment.

And when we feel like we’re being punished, we’re much less likely to actually do something, says clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, author of “Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life.” He tells Yahoo Health that we automatically use denial as a defense mechanism when we’re told we can’t do something, and, as a result, we just don’t accept the message.

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Not only that, he says telling a person “don’t” jump-starts our competitive reaction and makes us want something we shouldn’t have even more. So, when we hear we shouldn’t eat cookies and ice cream, we become fixated on having them (and often give in to the temptation).

“Over and over again we have seen that when we associate weight loss with denial, work, hardship, and restriction, people will rebel against this,” Mayer says.

According to the Boston Medical Center, an estimated 45 million Americans diet each year and we collectively spend $33 billion each year on weight loss products. But the National Institutes of Health reports that more than two-thirds of adults age 20 and over are considered overweight or obese.

While there are many factors that go into weight loss, Mayer says this approach is a step in the right direction: “I have seen amazing results in applying this mindset — instead of ‘don’t,’ how can I ‘do?’ For example, I can have a fat-free, sugar free ice cream.”

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Saltz agrees and says you should tell yourself that it’s okay to consider eating unhealthy foods when you’re trying to eat healthier, and to actually have them in limited amounts so that you don’t obsess over them.

Mayer stresses that your approach should always be positive — even if you stumble while trying to meet your diet goals. You’ll see a better outcome as a result.

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