The Big 15 (That Really Work):

1. Sorry, but I'm allergic to cheesecake . . . my eyes swell shut.

2. Thanks, but cheesecake always gives me flatulence.

3. Thanks, but I'm already so full I'm having trouble keeping everything down . . . where's your bathroom?

4. Thanks, but I see my personal trainer first thing in morning and if I've slipped, he's a sadist!

5. I spent day at dentist's office so I couldn't touch anything.

6. My aunt almost died of food poisoning from eating cheesecake - I just can't face it anymore.

7. Sorry, but I hate cheesecake.

8. My grandmother was eating cheesecake when she died. I've never touched it since.

9. I'd love to, but cheesecake always gives me immediate hives.

10. Sorry, but I'm a cheesecake alcoholic. One bite and I'll eat whole thing.

11. Sorry, I don't do cheesecake - and you shouldn't either, honey.

12. I'm fasting this week and it's time for my enema.

13. I'd love some, but cheesecake always makes me throw up.

14. Cheesecake always makes my crowns fall out.

15. If I eat that, I'll be forced to lead all your guests in 50 sit ups immediately afterwards.

Caution: you may not be invited back again for a while (but you're on your way to successful weight control).

To bar thoughts of food from entering our heads and whetting our tastebuds, we have to keep our minds engaged, and our attention focused, in other directions. Clear away snack foods and dig into a riveting novel -- you won't want to leave story for anything as mundane as fixing a snack. Start a daily journal and write about your thoughts and feelings and aspirations. Tackle one of those time-consuming chores you skip in your weekly clean-up: clean out drawers, work on car, clean BBQ, set aside stuff to go to Goodwill or storage, restring broken necklaces or re-organize your closets. All will help to keep your mind off food and no mental image of food means no consumption of food.

PRIORITIZE THOSE AROUND YOU

Play with your kids or help them with their homework. Go for a walk with your significant other and really talk about what is going on in your separate lives. At a long, safe distance from anything edible, call your parents or an old friend.

Do these techniques work? Sometimes. With regular effort and multiple task changes to maintain interest, they can be effective. For those days when nothing seems to work and food cravings are overwhelming, we need to bring in "big guns" which we will discuss another time.