Everything in moderation? Perhaps not.

Looking to lose weight or even maintain your current weight? You may justify small indulgences like a piece of cake by telling yourself that it's okay to have just a small amount. Everything in moderation, right? Perhaps not.

A new University of Georgia study may make you think twice before you decide to approach your health goals with the old adage. The research, from Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of psychology assistant professor Michelle vanDellen, sheds light on just how we each personally define the term "moderation."

The more people like a food, the more forgiving their definitions of moderation are, said the study's lead author Michelle vanDellen, an assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of psychology.

"Moderation is a relative term," she said. "When people talk about eating in moderation, it doesn't allow them a clear, concrete way to guide their behavior.

"For both thin and overweight people, people tend to think of moderation through their own objective lens, and they tend to exaggerate what moderation is."

Studies such as this exemplify the importance of understanding how our brains play a part in our every day activities and efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is not uncommon to misperceive how healthy we think we are--thinking we're being far more restrained in our moderation when perhaps, in comparison to others, we are more indulgent.

"We asked people to tell us what they think moderation is, in terms of quantity," said vanDellen, an expert on self-control. "For instance, the research team asked participants to define how many cookies would be moderation, how many would be indulgence and how many would be considered what you should eat.

"People do think of moderation as less than overeating, so it does suggest less consumption. But they do think of it as more than what they should eat. So moderation is more forgiving of their current desires. ... The more you like a food, the more of it you think you can eat in moderation."

The study adds to the growing body of literature that suggests people are poor judges of the amounts of food they're eating. And in terms of the rising rates of obesity, vanDellen notes a general backlash against dieting.

"People are now saying, ‘Diets don't work; you shouldn't go on a diet. You should just live by the rule of moderation,'" she said. "This is an increasingly popular belief. There are entire healthy eating movements oriented toward this idea of moderation."

If we aren't very good judges of our own eating habits, perhaps the trend of eating "everything in moderation" isn't necessarily a good tactic for helping reduce obestity rates. In fact, it could be harming peoples' efforts to lose weight. This could have a real impact on rates of obesity.

Great work by another talented Franklin College researcher. We look forward to more exciting research in the future.