Reverse Psychology?

People are always amazed when they see our kids, Zach, 2 and Lauren, 9 months, devouring their vegetables. (What they don't know is that our kids devour everything we put in front of them - see picture below.) But this topic always leads us into talking about the psychology of eating. Ever notice that if you take something away from your kid - they obsess over it until you give in or lock yourself in the bathroom to get away from the tantrum. (Okay, maybe that's just at our house.)


Anyhow, it sometimes seems that we are counterproductive in our attempts at dieting. We take everything we love to eat away and expect success. Even the most disciplined of people have a weak moment now and then. So what is the best psychology in terms of dieting? And better yet, what is the best method to make certain foods not so appealing?

A former coworker of mine, told me about this "Aversion" Program that she worked for in Alaska. She was hired to help people get over food and cigarette addictions using a form of aversion therapy. The process was as follows: Clients were instructed to sit in front of a mirror. They would then consume the addictive substance in large quantity. While they were eating, smoking, etc., her job was to verbally abuse them. She told them how disgusting, lazy, fat, etc. they looked. (Yes, they actually paid money for this!) Clients would watch themselves in the mirror and then repeat these mantras about how gross they looked. Talk about an awful job, especially for a sweet lady. I guess jobs in Alaska were hard to come by. Obviously I don't recommend this type of therapy to anyone, but I'm sure it had it's share of success and horror stories.

What I have discovered over the years and via my training in wellness promotion, is that behavior modification comes in various forms. There is no "one size fits all" answer. But, here's what I found to work most often.

1. Make a Plan: Write it down, post it on facebook, tell the world about it. Writing it will make it tangible, expressing it makes it real. I remember our planning days before taking our big bike trip. Once we made the official announcement to our family and friends, there was absolutely no turning back.

2. Set Measureable, Realistic Goals: You can make your goals small at first, but make sure they are measurable. Some examples: Run a mile in 9 minutes by the end of August, Lose 2 pounds a month, Eat no more than 100 g of carb a day for 6 out of 7 days a week. For our bike trip, we planned out each day's mileage and set some deadlines for arriving at certain destinations. This was a great system for motivating us on those cold, foggy mornings.

3. Rewards : For each measurable goal that you set - create a reward for its completion. Rewards can be in any form but make it something really worthwhile to you. Some examples: A new workout outfit, a day off from the exercise/diet routine, a massage.

4. Public Ending: Sign up for a 5K, Triathalon or other race, go on a beach vacation or plan a family or classmate reunion. Making a public appearance with your new physique will be the best long-term motivator. Other people will be watching and you want to complete the race, or look great in your clothes or swimsuit.