Having Your Cake but Not Eating It

Want to lose weight? Try posting a photo of a deliciously rich slice of chocolate cake on your refrigerator.

Huh?

It's totally counter-intuitive, but it's true: Science says that showing weight watchers photos of treats actually strengthens their self control.

Floor Kroese, a psychologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, conducted a temptation test, according to the UK's The Telegraph. Telling her 54 female student volunteers that they were taking a memory test, Kroese showed them photos of either a slice of chocolate cake or a flower. She and her team then quizzed the students about any plans to de-junk their diets, then offered them either a chocolate or an oatmeal cookie.

Women who got a glimpse of the cake picture talked more about their healthy eating plans than those showed the flower. They were also more likely to choose the oatmeal cookie, which earlier tests had shown was widely perceived to be the healthy option.

Kroese told the Telegraph: "Food temptations do not always trigger indulgence. It seems that seeing a food temptation reminded people of their goal to watch their weight and helped them act accordingly."

Let them look at cake.