Attiva is about the size of a sugar grain, but when the grains are consumed in a capsule along with water, the grains swell into a gel-like substance. As the gel expands in the stomach, little room is left for food.

The problem with programs supplying prepackaged, prepared diet foods is that no such barrier to overeating exists. Boredom and temptation may cause the dieter to abandon the prepared foods altogether.

The newspapers recently reported the activity of a USDA-supported nonprofit organization called Dairy Management. Their mission is to get you and me to eat more cheese on our pizza.

I nearly fell off the treadmill when I heard on TV that snapping a rubber wristband against the wrist would stop the need to eat cookies. A craving for carbohydrates is as natural as feeling thirst when the body needs water.