For myself, I know that if I sit down with a bag of chips, or a sleeve of cookies, or have a bowl of M&Ms in front of me — I eat it. Not a few. Not a portion. What's there, I eat.
The (partial) answer for me, at least, is to portion my food. If I'm going to eat chips, then I don't just sit down with the bag. I pour myself a small bowl of them (or, alternately, a small portion of salsa). And then I go somewhere else, or else put the items away. That limits the portion, and while it doesn't stop me from getting a refill, doing so requires (a) an effort, (b) conscious awareness of what I'm doing, (c) at least tacit acknowledgment that I'm having "seconds".
It's not foolproof, but it's a lot safer.
Why We Eat Whatever’s In Front of Us
In general, we suck at portion control. When food’s placed in front of us, we tend to follow mom’s advice and clean our plates, even when it’s more than we actually want. Here’s why that is, and a few…