A Radical Approach To Weight Loss:
Visualization!

You've heard you can visualize your goals as being completed. But this revolutionary approach -- apparently backed by recent research -- tells you to imagine eating a specific food in great detail. You'd be surprised at the results . . .

If you're like most of us, you probably have a favorite food you'd love to eat . . . if only it wasn't so fattening . . . it didn't contain so many calories . . . it was loaded with cholesterol.

Before you make the blind leap and eat it anyway, you may want to imagine eating the food -- in a very detailed fashion. Why? It just might help reduce your desire for the food at the moment.

At least that's the very revealing results of a new study, conducted by lead research Carey Morewedge, assistant professor of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

Most of us assume that such visualization would increase not only our desire for that specific food, but it would whet our appetite. When we finally get to eat it, we just assume we're going to overeat.

Morewedge says quite simply, "Our findings show that it is not so simple." Here are the astounding results of this quite imaginative study (pun intended!)

First, when you think of a certain food it can indeed increase your appetite. But take that one step further and actually go through the mental imagery of eating the food. Go ahead, imagine it in great detail. Morewedge says you'll experience a decreased desire for it.

And Here's How She Knows

The study asked 51 people to image performing 33 repetitive actions, one at a time. The control group was asked to image placing 33 coins into a washing machine. A second group was asked to visualize in detail 30 quarters in the washing machine and then eating three M & M candy pieces.

The third group was told to imagine -- in detail -- placing only three quarters in a washer and eat 30 M & M candy pieces.

After that, all groups were invited to eat as many M & M candies as they cared to from a bowl. The study revealed that those who imagined they were eating 30 candy pieces actually ate the least amount when they received the chance.

The researchers then shuffled the groups, the number of M & M candy pieces they were to visualize eating, along with the number of coins they placed in the washer. They did not only a second time, but a third time as well.

In all the instances, those who visualized eating the most candy ate the least amount when they received the opportunity.

So Why Does This Occur?

Morewedge believes the astounding results confirm a process most psychologists refer to as habituation. This means that after a certain amount of exposure to an item or in this case a food, you system doesn't respond.

It's too soon to start visualizing all your favorite foods, then tempt yourself to eat them based on this study alone. For one thing, the study is small, involving only 51 individuals. Secondly, for most theories to be accepted a second (and third . . .) study must be performed along the same lines.

Until any of that happens, you may want to try visualizing your favorite, forbidden food. But don't bet the farm that you're going to experience the same degree of habituation that these folks did.

Your best bet? Just eat sparingly of those high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. No one, after all, can blame you for eating a few in moderations now and then!.

Not only that but, Samantha Heller, a clinical nutrition coordinator at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, warns that this experiment might not hold true for those who are obese.

Cravings for food, she explains, are a complex mix of physiological, psychological environmental and hormonal factors. The only sure way to lose weight, burn fat and build muscles she explains is to adopt healthy lifestyle habits including eating fresh fruits and vegetable, legumes and whole grains. Exercise also goes a long way toward stopping food cravings, she added.

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