Why does trying to resist something make us want it more?

Swearing off a certain food is a recipe for binging on it, says addiction specialist Dr. Mike Dow. To learn a better approach to resisting something, watch the Ask the Experts video.

Transcript

00:00

Trying to resist something entirely can actually psychologically make you want it more. We see this in binge eaters.

00:07

So when they say, I'm never going to have this food, I'm never going to have ice cream, I'm never going to have sweets ever again,

00:14

that actually increases the likelihood that you will binge on that food. And the same is true for all of us. So instead of saying, I am never going to have a sweet,

00:23

I am never going to have sugar, find healthier alternatives. You could call them cheats.

00:29

When you find those healthy cheats, something like a frozen banana with dark chocolate nuts instead of an ice cream bar or a healthy bowl of vanilla Greek yogurt

00:40

with some whole wheat cereal, blueberries, and maple syrup instead of the very decadent blueberry pancakes, you're actually going to be fulfilling your craving,