[notauser]

My weakness is food. I'll eat anything that's in front of me or in the fridge. I'll just mindlessly snack on it until I'm uncomfortably full.

I live right across the road from a store and yet if there is no food in the house I won't feel inclined to go and buy more unless it's time for a meal. Then I buy exactly enough stuff to make one meal only with no difficulty restraining myself.

Result: I exercise a form of will power I do have and achieve my goal rather than failing to exercise a form of willpower I don't have.

Am I just fooling myself? Yeah. Maybe this guy is too. But if the outcome is positive then that seems smart to me.

[rgraham]

This is true and smart. There is a quote in 'Cooking for Geeks' about this phenomenon from Michael Pollan. The idea is that Americans could fix their diets by eating smaller portions, but the simplest way to get people to eat smaller portions is a smaller plate. Changing your environment is easier that changing your behavior and it works. It's a powerful idea.