The Tip: Start eating off of blue plates (the smaller, the better), especially if its a dish you tend to binge on.

The Study: Boston University

The Theory: We eat more when there's less contrast between the color of the food and the plate. Few foods are naturally blue, which makes it the calorie-counting plate color of choice It's also less "stimulating" than yellow and red, colors favored by fast food restaurants for a reason. The size of your bowls and plates is also a factor. Bigger dishes can make a portion look smaller, so you're more likely to pile on more food.

The Tip: Sit in front of a full-length mirror when you're eating.

The Study: Arizona State University/Erasmus University Rotterdam

The Theory: It's hard to imagine anything more sad than eating alone in front of a mirror, or more bizarre than eating in front of a mirror with other diners at the table. But, if you're trying to drop a few, watching yourself chow down makes you more aware of your body and forces you to think about the food you're eating. You'll eat less, and more healthfully.

The Tip: Turn your thermostat down to the lower 60s, especially when you sleep.

The Study: Fiona Johnson of University College London

The Theory: In mildly cold conditions, your body can generate heat without shivering ("non-shivering thermogenesis" if you're a scientist), and researchers believe that this response has an impact on brown fat. Unlike regular fat, brown fat burns calories like a furnace when it's activated by non-shivering thermogenesis.

The Tip: Add a multivitamin to your daily routine.

The Study: International Journal of Obesity, National Institute of Health and the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University

The Theory: Researchers haven't pinpointed individual vitamins that impact weightloss, but they believe that when your body is low on nutrients, your appetite fires up and you overeat as a way to replenish your bod.

The Tip: Snag an end seat at your dinner parties and happy hours, and shop the outer edge of the grocery store.

The Study: Various

The Theory: Bread, chips and other high-calorie, carby foods tend to be set at the center of the table at parties/happy hour/dinners, and highly processed and packaged foods hover in the middle aisles of a typical grocery store floorplan. Avoid those center spots at the table or bar, and when you're grocery shopping, load up your cart from the outer aisles, where the fresh produce, meats, dairy and natural foods are typically shelved.