Science Says If You Want To Lose Weight... Don't Talk About Losing Weight

Talking about your diet and what you eat in general can get pretty tense.

And sometimes, talking about body insecurities and weight loss is straight-up exhausting.

According to research, talking about dieting actually works against your weight-loss goals, if you have them.

A recent study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that talking about weight with people in your life is one of the most effective ways to ruin your relationship with food and your body.

These conversations about weight and body image start young, too. If you have body image issues, you might be able to blame your parents.

The study showed that when parents talked too much about their own body and weight (both positively and negatively), this made their children more prone to unhealthy activities like excess dieting or binge eating.

I can totally relate to this. My mom is a huge health nut.

While I appreciate the fact that she was against processed foods — sugary cereal, junky yogurt or Fruit Roll-Ups — in the kitchen, her fixation on her own weight totally affected my body image throughout high school and college.

Yes, learning how to fill my body with good foods was beneficial, but the focus on weight was truly detrimental. For years, I found myself dieting and bingeing, but that stopped when I moved out of my mom's house.

Body image is more important than the number on the scale, but that's hard to remember when everyone in your life is talking about losing weight.

How often do you hear, "I feel fluffy, so I'm cutting back on bread," or "I'm just trying to lose a few pounds."

The answer is probably too often.

Have you ever thought about how talking about your diet is affecting your ability to stick to it? Talking about it and hearing about it from others puts unnecessary pressure on yourself.

The main takeaway from this study is that the focus of getting healthy should have nothing to do with numbers on a scale.

Instead, conversations should be positive and focus on health and how we feel about our bodies.

People should be saying things like, "I'm working on drinking less soda and more water," or "I'm skipping the pizza because cheese is actually terrible for me."

Unless your weight is affecting your health in a negative way, you shouldn't stress about losing a certain number of pounds. Taking care of your body and focusing on your overall health is all that matters.

And I'm telling you, confidence and happiness come from within.

Your outlook on health starts with the types of conversations you have with your family and the types people you surround yourself with.

Chances are, if all of your friends are trapped in the diet and binge cycle, you're more susceptible to that behavior, too.