Once I start eating I can’t stop. People say to eat a few potato chips or a couple of cookies but I don’t seem able to do that. Are their ways I can learn to eat less of something after I lose weight?

There is plenty of evidence that we are biologically driven to eat what is in front of us. If you have a large bag of potato chips or a bag of cookies you are likely to eat more than if you had single servings.

Most people have high risk foods – those foods that if they are present in their environment they will keep eating. While we don’t have total control over our environment, there are many skills that can be learned to keep your environment safer.

Purchase your high risk foods in small containers or only eat them away from home. When eating at home serve from the stove rather than family style. When in a restaurant ask for a take out container at the same time your meal is brought to you and package half your meal before you start eating. There are dozens of similar skills that can be learned to help you manage your environment rather than rely upon the relatively short nature of willpower.