by Kyle Tonniges

* Worried about gaining 20 pounds over the holidays? Imagine yourself eating as much as you want instead of actually doing it and you might be able to keep the pounds off. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh discovered that repeated exposure to a certain food decreases your desire to eat more, even if you’re not eating anything, according to the latest issue of Science magazine. In one experiment, researchers asked half their participants to imagine eating 30 M&Ms and inserting three quarters into the slot of a laundry machine. The other half was told to envision themselves eating three M&Ms and inserting 30 quarters. Then, all the subjects were allowed to eat as many M&Ms as they wanted. Subjects who had envisioned themselves eating more candy ate an average of three M&Ms while others ate about five. Additional experiments bore this out — no matter what the food is, if you imagine yourself consuming that plate of enchiladas, turkey and dressing or those ubiquitous little smokies in barbecue sauce bite by bite, you’re more likely to end up eating less of it. Something to consider before grabbing a plate and rolling up your sleeves at the next holiday party.

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