Creating a supportive environment
Everyone has individual emotional cues and triggers that signal the impulse to eat. Instead of battling constantly with temptation, make it easier on yourself and create a supportive environment. You can do this by limiting foods and sometimes making them unavailable. It means avoiding vulnerable situations at times. By doing this, you won't have to confront "will I or won't I" decisions continually. Constant temptations are likely to make you feel anxious. You may yield to food simply to end your anxiety rather than taking the time to decide whether you're really hungry.

What environmental cues trigger your desire for food? A food diary can help you gain insight into environmental triggers. For a week or two, record what you eat, how much you eat, when, where, and the circumstances. Look for patterns to uncover high-risk situations. Once you've identified those situations, make plans to change them.

Common environmental triggers
In general, it's best to remove tempting foods from the house or keep them out of sight. Instead, keep low-fat snacks handy. Here are some other common troublesome situations:

• I get hungry every time I turn on the TV. Make a rule that you can't eat while watching TV. Or do other things while watching TV—fold the laundry, do needlework, etc.
• I can't stop eating ice cream once I get started. Buy the smallest container or put a measured portion in a cup rather than eating directly from the container.
• I overeat in restaurants. Tell the restaurant to put half your meal in a doggie bag before they serve your food.
• I can't resist the cookies at staff meetings. Set snacks on a side table so you're not staring at them.

Finally, be aware that sights, smells, and taste can trigger overeating. You may simply consume too much because you eat too fast. By the time your body sends you a signal that you're full, you've already eaten two meals' worth of food. Slow the pace. Chew your food. Put your fork down between bites. Savor each bite, and you may find that you don't need to eat as much as before.

Eating disorders
Everyone goes on occasional binges—bouts of overindulgence when we eat too much at one sitting. But certain people have a serious disorder called binge eating, often eating large amounts of food rapidly over a short time.

Typically, binge eaters feel a loss of control—they can't stop eating—along with feelings of shame, disgust, or despair. In some cases, binge eaters follow these episodes with laxatives, diuretics, or vomiting to purge their bodies of food. When this happens, it's called bulimia nervosa.

Another serious eating disorder is anorexia nervosa: extreme weight loss due to self-induced starvation, distorted body image, and an intense fear of becoming fat.

Eating disorders can cause medical problems and psychological hardship. They require professional counseling. If you have these behaviors, contact your doctor or consult a counselor experienced in eating disorders.