It’s all in your head
Posted on February 9, 2011
SPICE: Hey Sugar, what would you eat if weight gain was completely impossible? If you could have whatever you wanted and as much as you wanted and it didn’t affect your health, lab values or how well your size 8 jeans fit – what would it be? Just imagine it, go ahead.
Why, you ask? Well, I just found out that, “in an intriguing, new landmark report published in the prestigious journal, Science, scientists discovered that simply thinking about eating a food can diminish your appetite for it. It seems counter intuitive, but when study subjects mentally visualized or imagined eating a particular food (in this study M&M’s), they subsequently ate significantly less of it relative to control subjects that did not undertake the mental imagery exercise. The researchers noted that it is likely a “flawed strategy” to suppress thoughts for a desired food in an attempt to reduce cravings. So go ahead and devour the forbidden foods you crave over and over and over again, but keep it all in your head and out of your mouth because it’s the thought that counts!” (Science, November 2010)
So, let’s start with breakfast, shall we? I’ll imagine myself eating an order of apple stuffed French toast, slathered with melted butter and pure Vermont maple syrup, please. With a side of hickory smoked bacon, too! Oh, and bring me some cream and sugar for my coffee, would you? 
SUGAR: Well this is just too good to be true! In my mind, I just finished my chocolate covered donut from DD- it was so d’lish I think I’ll have another. Which is unfortunately how the past few weeks have been going. Pick anything chocolate and one is too many and 100 are not enough. 
I don’t know if it is all the snow or the frigid temps but I cannot get enough carbs & chocolate. Two things that are my kryptonite. Okay I’m back to the “make pretend” game….now what are you munching?
SPICE: I’m now eating chocolate covered donuts! A whole dozen, fresh out of the ovens, freshly frosted, one after the other! I agree with you, chocolate and carbs are my favorite things!
You know, Sugar, I bet this method really does work. I was watching an episode of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel one night (www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food) and he was trying to eat a bucket of 50 chicken wings in a half hour. It was awful. He couldn’t do it. He thought he could but then he started sweating around wing number 30 and then they brought over another bucket for the floor (if you know what i mean.) After watching that, and the disgusting consumption, my whole family ate a salad for dinner.
So in that spirit, I’m going to start thinking about my lunch. I’ll have a beef cheeseburger, fries and a full calorie beer! 
The smell! The taste! The warm bun! The ketchup! My mouth is actually watering! (somehow, this reminds me of Violet Beauregard yelling out to Willy Wonka, “The snozberries taste like snozberries!”
Anyway, now that I’ve lived out my lunch fantasy, I’m going to go heat up my Lean Cuisine in the office microwave. So y’all give this a try and see if the new research works for you or is just silly. Tell us what you think!