should make many dieters sit up and think about what makes them feel satisfied

How about this for a bit of psychology? A new study done by the world famous Yale University shows that being satisfied with what you have eaten is not just about the quantity of calories consumed but the perceived quantity that you have eaten. The researchers from the Department of Psychology observed that volunteers who were given the same milkshakes but who were told that they contained different calorie amounts had different reactions.

For the research a 380 calorie milkshake was used. Half of the volunteers were told that it contained 620 calories and that it was an indulgent treat and the other group were informed that it was a low calorie drink only containing 120 calories. The results of this study were fascinating because the researchers measured the amount of the ghrelin hormone which is responsible for stimulating the appetite. In a normal person the level of the ghrelin hormone will be high just before they eat a meal and will decrease afterwards.

With this study however the individuals who were told that the milkshake that they had consumed was high calorie showed a significantly bigger decrease in the amount of the ghrelin hormone immediately after finishing it when compared to those individuals who were told that the milkshake was low calorie.

The lead author of the study Professor Alia J Crum said that the brain was tricked into feeling unsatisfied or full up depending on what the volunteers had been told. This is a very important point because it goes to show that people who consume low calorie diet foods often feel unsatisfied with what they have eaten, not just because the calorie content is low but also because they have been told that the calorie content is low.

The research which was published by the clinical journal Health Psychology should make a lot of dieters sit up and think about what makes them feel satisfied and what does not. We often go on about the power of the mind as the most important weapon you have to fight being overweight and obese and this research confirms that losing weight is definitely a question of mind over matter.