PUBLISHED 06/12/2008
LAST UPDATED 06/12/2008
Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows that simple willpower isn't always enough to keep you out of the kitchen, and away from second helpings and the dessert menu. Myriad forces—from our own emotions to the distractions of a TV show—have a huge impact on how much we eat. Here's how to fight back:
Control the candy dish. In a study by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating, secretaries ate an average of 2.2 more candies when they were in a clear bowl and 1.8 more candies when the bowl was on their desk as opposed to two meters away. The lesson to be learned: If there is a candy dish in your office, make it a covered, opaque dish, and keep it off your desk.
Don't multitask—especially if eating is one of the tasks. "The mind cannot pay attention to too many things at once, so if you're doing more than one thing, plus eating, the food doesn't really register," says Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D., a Newport Beach, California-based dietitian and coauthor of Intuitive Eating.
Get in touch with your own hunger. For members of the clean-plate club, understanding when you're hungry and when you're full isn't as easy as it sounds. Tribole suggests learning to rate your hunger from 1 to 10 at the start of the meal, and then pausing midway through to reassess your fullness. She also recommends practicing leaving just one thing on your plate to break that automatic habit of scraping it clean.
Downsize your dinnerware. Wansink found that when people were given a larger bowl, they served themselves 31 percent more ice cream than if they had a small bowl. The same goes for your dinner plate, serving spoons, and anything else that gives you the visual cue to scoop up more.
Talk more, eat less. "In a social environment, we tend to eat more, and often it's to fill gaps in conversation," says Tribole. So if you're going into a situation where you don't know everyone—like a date, a cocktail party, or work social—go armed with questions and conversation topics.
