8 Tips to Control Hunger

1. Make Smart Snack Associations

Instead of buying snacks at a movie, a ball game, or other event, chew a stick of sugar-free gum. Pretty soon you’ll associate the taste of gum, rather than high-calorie food, with that setting.

2. Avoid Stalking Snacks

At parties stand as far away as you can from the bowls of chips, dips, and other munchies.

3. Stop Road Trip Temptation

On car trips plan ahead by bringing a few 100-calorie snacks. If you have a tendency to munch in the car, bring just a single serving, not the whole box. Put the rest in the trunk.

4. Go for Single Servings

Buy snacks in small packs. If you buy the giant size to economize, divide it into single-serving bags or containers as soon as you get home.

5. Use Strategic Placement

Put the healthiest snacks where you’ll see them when you first open a kitchen cabinet or the refrigerator. Hide the others behind them.

6. Don’t Mix Food with Business

Don’t snack in your office. (And definitely don’t keep bags of chips or pretzels in your desk drawer.) Go somewhere else—kitchen, cafeteria, lounge, or outside. That way you won’t associate your office with food.

7. Eat In

At home enjoy your snacks in the kitchen—and nowhere else.

8. Snack for the Right Reasons

Don’t eat to relax. Relax, then eat. Stress can be a big factor in diet.