Movies That Make You Cry May Make You Fat

Having trouble losing weight? It could be what kind of movies you're watching. Yep, certain kinds of movies encourage overeating, while others can put you on the path to your inner skinny self.

Here's what you need to know before placing your next Netflix order or hitting the multiplex: Watch out for sad movies. They could be your diet undoing, especially if a movie's not a movie to you without, say, buttered popcorn.

If you're watching a sad flick, you're likely to eat about one-third more buttered popcorn than when you watch a happy film, such as a comedy. (Check out these ways to beat stress and improve your mood.)

And it's not just movies. The effect is even more dramatic when you're reading something sad. A sad story can make you eat more than twice as much popcorn as a happy story can.

And it's not just popcorn? Combine a sad plotline with M&M's (or, we suspect, any munchy-crunchy snack food) and you're likely to gobble up three times as many as you would during a laughfest. Why? Experts suspect you hope comfort food will ease the flood of tears.

Now, we YOU Docs aren't saying you should pass up every tearjerker. Miss Life Is Beautiful or Bambi? No way! Just take some precautions:

Pack a snack. Tuck a small bag of nuts into your pocket and get a large no-cal drink. Both will keep you filled up while you tear up. (Lose belly fat without dieting!)

Be prepared at home. Before you curl up with a book, a movie, or the TV, measure out single servings of your fave foods!

Read the labels. Really. Turns out that if you read the food's nutrition labels before the sad story, you'll eat way less. Knowledge is a powerful thing! (Find out how eating right can make your RealAge younger -- take our free test!)