The Mental Diet

I'll have to try this with pistachios and anything my wife fixes.

From Science...

Before dipping your hand into that bowl of M&Ms at the holiday party, think about what you're about to do. A lot. A new study finds that people who imagine themselves consuming many pieces of candy eat less of the real thing when given the chance. The finding, say experts, could lead to the development of better weight-loss strategies.

The findings should have practical applications. One possible strategy for weight watchers might be to spend a few minutes before each meal imagining eating exactly the foods they're about to consume, she says. This type of mental exercise might also help counter sudden cravings between meal times.

A question they don't answer is what happens when people know about this trick. Probably some eat less to intentionally or subconsciously support the theory and others eat more to refute it.