Next time you find yourself salivating over that scrumptious-looking slice of pizza, think long and hard about the calories, the fat, the grease – and just imagine how long it will take you to burn off all that yuck.

The key to making good food choices may be focusing on the negative, say Boston College researchers. It seems scaring yourself away from something fattening can be more effective than thinking about something nutritious.

Time to practice: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread or bucket of fried chicken? Don't think about how healthy that sandwich is. Instead, think of how hard you'll need to work to remove the fried stuff from your hips, butt, and gut. Yep, that turkey sounds pretty good, now, doesn't it?

(via Family Circle magazine, October 2008)