>> Just a few strategically eaten grapefruits and/or grapefruit juice...
>
>That one has been around since I was a kid. (Which was before you were a gleam in your dad's eye). I think the principle is that it's so unappealing and unappetizing you don't feel like eating anything at all.
Just like one lady asked about some energy pills - "before or after lunch?" and got the expected "instead of" for an answer.
I don't know how'd that work for me, I like grapefruit. Though, don't eat it that much, wife and I share one in the evening, mostly during winter. And it surely doesn't kill my appetite, I still take my peanuts (but have to walk to the kitchen and back, bend down to get them out of the bag - which is on the floor - and never take more than five at a time) after that.
OTOH, I only need a moderate diet - to get off these six pounds I gained over the last three decades.