Could you be overeating - and not even know it?
How Excess Calories Sneak Onto Your Waistline

Extra weight tends to creep up on people - one cookie or handful of crackers at a time.  If you don't burn the calories you take in from food, they'll deposit themselves on your waistline, thighs, and elsewhere.

How Calories Quickly Add Up

Many people don't even realize that they've begun consuming too many calories until they step on the scale or notice their clothes fitting tighter.

Experts say the blame for weight gain can often be placed on minor changes in lifestyle—which slowly add up to five, 10, or 20 pounds within a few years.

To gain one pound, you need to take in 3,500 more calories than you burn. This is easier than you think.

Consider these scenarios:

• A woman starts having a cup of hot chocolate every afternoon as a treat, adding 112 calories to her daily diet. Unless she increases her activity level, she'll gain more than 11 pounds in a year.
• When his usual lunch spot closes, a man starts frequenting another restaurant that serves larger portions. He cleans his plate without realizing that he’s eating more. Within three months, he’s gained five pounds.

Common Reasons People Eat Too Much

In this site are some common causes for overeating. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

To uncover unfavorable eating patterns, you might want to keep a food diary for a week or so. Write down when you eat, how much you eat, and what you eat. Also, make note of any factors that cause you to eat more than usual.

Do you always clean your plate—even when you're stuffed?

Many people are told as children to eat everything on their plates. While good intentioned, this advice may cause you to dismiss feelings of fullness and eat more than you need.

To overcome this habit, you might:

• serve yourself smaller portions
• practice listening to your body's signals as you eat
• allow yourself to leave food on your plate when you feel full.

Are you often surrounded by temptations?

Experts think one reason that so many Americans have a weight problem is the constant exposure to tempting high-calorie foods, such as sweets and junk food. These foods are usually fine in moderation. But constant temptation may lead to overindulging.

Research seems to back this up. One study found that people reported more hunger after being shown food cues, such as those you see during a grocery store visit. They said they felt hungrier when shown high-fat foods than low-fat ones.

It will be easier to resist overindulging on sweets and junk food if you reduce your risk of being tempted.

The following strategies can help:

• Keep your own home as temptation free as possible. Avoid buying sweets and unhealthy foods that you have trouble resisting.
• Avoid going hungry to dinner parties, the grocery store, or other places where there will be a lot of tempting high-calorie foods. Have a healthy snack beforehand.
• Avoid alcohol when socializing. People who drank about 12 ounces of alcohol before eating ate more than those who drank water, juice, or other beverages. They also ate more quickly.

Do you snack mindlessly while watching TV?

Humans are creatures of habit. Research shows that you can become so accustomed to eating in certain situations—such as when watching TV—that it becomes a habit. You may grab a snack even when you're not hungry or eat more than you intend to just because you're used to eating in front of the TV.

To break yourself from the TV snacking habit, try these strategies:

• Limit your television watching time. Experts say that if you reduce your exposure to events that cause you to eat, you'll naturally eat less.
• Make a household rule: Eating is only allowed at the kitchen or dining room table—away from the TV.
• Think of another activity that you can do while watching TV to get your mind off snacking. Examples include knitting or pedaling a stationary bike.

Do you eat under stress?

For some people, stress is a strong predictor for overeating. People who are trying to lose weight are more likely to relapse when they are under stress.

To avoid overeating when stressed, try the following strategies:

• Practice breathing techniques, yoga, or other relaxation therapies.
• Make time for exercise. It's one of the best ways to release stress. Plus, regular exercise can help you control your weight.

Are your serving sizes too large?

How much people eat depends, in part, on how much they are served. One study showed that adults ate more food when they were served portions 1 1/2 times larger than standard portion sizes.

It's common for people to underestimate serving sizes. For example, many people don't realize that one serving of meat should only be the size of a deck of cards.

It can help to learn the proper portion sizes for various foods. For instance, one serving of bread equals one slice of bread. But a small bagel, bun, or muffin is often equal to two bread servings.

You might get out your measuring cups and your kitchen scale for a few weeks. Take the time to measure out the serving size listed on the cereal box or orange juice container.

You also need to be on alert at restaurants—where portion sizes tend to be extra large.

To refrain from overeating when eating out, try these tactics:

• Share an entree with a friend.
• Request the appetizer- or lunch-size in place of an entreé size.

Do you eat too fast?

It takes a few moments for your stomach to register that you've eaten something. If you eat too fast, you may consume too much food before you have a chance to feel full.

To slow down when you eat, try the following tactics:

• Put down your fork or spoon between bites of food.
• Chew slowly and completely.
• When dining with others, concentrate on the conversation between bites.
• Take time to listen to your hunger signals and stop eating when you feel full.