Diets fail because they're all about food. Better to lose unhealthy weight by exploring other passions... even things that aren't physical such as playing an instrument (or coding). Then over the long term you can start to consume less and less as you have food on the brain less and less.
Anything else makes sense, but I really don't think it applies to dieting all that much on an extended basis (for a short period of time, though, maybe).
It's all very unscientific, and you may be right. But I have this feeling there's room for a distinction between biological/psychological food needs and the ways we cope with each.
Anyway, I claim urban myth on your post ( http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp ).
I had a teacher who said he'd lose several pounds per game in competitive chess play.
It burns between 15 and 30% of your caloric intake, depending on which source you find the most accurate and the size and level of activity of your brain.
http://www.drbass.com/temptation.html
Indeed it is the same core idea(s) driven at from the view of meditation, of positive thinking, or the "you see what you are looking for - think of 23, see 23 everywhere" experience.
As such, I suppose HN and similar sites are about promoting the "think of opportunities, see opportunities" side, while all web forums talk about "not feeding the trolls".
When I was learning to hang glide, my instructor said that when you want to avoid a tree or power lines, it's important to not fixate on it, because the craft tends to follow the direction you lean towards. People have died that way.
Auston wanted to avoid an employee who was only in it for the money - but by fixating on the thing that he doesn't want to be an issue (i.e. money), it has become the dominate issue. If you don't want a fire, don't fan it.
If you want to avoid something, the best strategy is sometimes to focus on something else that you do want. It's a kind of positive thinking, but one that has saved lives.