How to Avoid Auto-Eating

Don’t let the holidays sidetrack your diet.

by Heidi Smith Luedtke


If holiday goodies are simply too much temptation to bear, read on. Recent studies show controlling what you eat is not simply a matter of will power. According to a study by RAND researcher Deborah Cohen and Thomas Farley of Tulane University School of Public Health, powerful environmental cues lead to automatic eating, a recipe for diet disaster. Three cues you can control are portion size, visibility, and ease of access. To tame these triggers:

Downsize your dishes
Studies show people consumed 34% more when they ate from a jumbo container than from a normal-sized one. Opt for a salad plate at the buffet table (instead of a full-sized dinner dish) and you’ll feel full eating less.

Out of sight, out of mind
Store holiday cookies and caramel chocolate drizzled popcorn in opaque containers or inside cabinets, rather than on your desk or kitchen island. What you don’t see won’t hurt your dieting efforts.

Play hard to get
Store extra servings in the freezer to slow your next snack attack. If you have to wait while treats defrost, it’s harder to nibble your cares away. (Bonus: you’ll waste less food if you don’t lose track of it in your overstuffed refrigerator!)