The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It

THE PROBLEM WITH DIETING
Although dieting is a long-standing American pastime, as a method of losing weight, it stinks. A 2007
review of all research on food-restriction or calorie-restriction diets declared that there is little to no
evidence for weight loss or health benefits of dieting, and growing evidence that dieting does harm.
The vast majority of dieters not only regain the weight they lose while dieting, but gain more. In fact,
dieting is a better way to 
gain
weight than to lose it. People who go on diets gain more weight over
time than people who start at the same weight but never diet. Several long-term studies have found
that yo-yo dieting raises blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, suppresses the immune
system, and increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and all-cause mortality. (And, if you
recall, dieting also increases your chances of cheating on your spouse—though you won’t see any of
these side effects listed on your Jenny Craig contract.)
Many researchers—like Erskine—have come to the conclusion that what makes dieting so
ineffective is the very thing people expect to be most effective: outlawing fattening foods. From the
very first forbidden fruit, prohibition has led to problems, and science is now confirming that
restricting a food automatically increases your cravings for it. For example, women asked to not eat
chocolate for one week experience a surge in chocolate cravings and eat twice as much chocolate ice
cream, cookies, and cake during a taste test as women who had not been depriving themselves. This
doesn’t happen because the brain and body suddenly realize they cannot function without the exact
amino acids and micronutrients in chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream. (If cravings really worked
this way, millions of Americans would have the overwhelming desire for fresh fruits and vegetables.)
No, the rebound is more psychological than physiological. The more you try to avoid the food, the
more your mind will be preoccupied by it.
Erskine points out that many dieters are fooled into thinking thought suppression works because
they often feel successful—at least initially—at getting rid of their food thoughts. It’s not just dieters
who can convince themselves that suppression works; we’re all susceptible to this illusion. Because
it is possible to temporarily push away a thought, we assume that the strategy is itself fundamentally
sound. Our eventual failure to control our thoughts and behavior is interpreted as evidence that we
didn’t try hard enough to suppress—not that suppression doesn’t work. This leads us to try harder,
setting ourselves up for an even stronger rebound.