Your Dining Room

Is there a television where you eat? Television leads to distracted eating, and distracted eating leads to mindless overeating. It is not the only culprit — the dining area should be a phone and computer free zone as well.

Is there a table? Many people do not eat at one. They eat on the couch, walking, or in bed, and they tend to carry more weight. Eating at a table helps you concentrate on the meal and on the people you are with, so you notice fullness sooner and stop earlier.

Is all the food on the table? People eat less when they have to work for food. If everything is within arm’s reach, you will eat more. Leave the calorie-dense dishes in the kitchen and serve them from the stove — about six feet of separation is enough to matter.

Are there drinks with calories on the table? If you must drink them, keep the bottle or pitcher off the table. A pitcher of water on the table, on the other hand, is a great idea.

Put a reminder of your most important eating goal right in front of you. An index card that says "Eat Slower" or "You Don’t Have to Finish Everything" works, as long as it means something to you. A photograph of a grandchild or of you at your most athletic works too.

Look at your plate. It should be at least two-thirds vegetables, fruit, or salad. Wansink’s lab promotes a half-plate rule; Lose Weight for Good® prefers two-thirds healthy, one-third whatever you want. With the two-thirds rule there is nothing you cannot eat — you just have more healthy food than anything else. Eat the salad first, and at some point that fourth slice of pizza is not worth another larger portion of salad.

Small plates make everything on them look bigger, which fools the brain into feeling you ate more. Big plates are fine for low-calorie foods like vegetables. Use plates that contrast with the food, since matching plates lead people to eat about 18% more.

Chopsticks are worth a try. As Kimiko Barber puts it, eating with chopsticks slows you down, so you eat less — useful because it takes roughly twenty minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full. And you should not see a television, computer, or phone screen at all.

Is your table covered in clutter? If you have to clear a pile just to set a place, you will default to the couch. A clear table gets used for meals.

Use the convenience rule deliberately: leave the meat and starches in the kitchen, and keep the broccoli and the salad right on the table where they are easy to reach.

Keep water on the table in a large pitcher so everyone can have an extra helping without getting up. Keep the wine, soda, and juice off the table — if you drink them, use small, tall, thin glasses and leave the refill in the refrigerator.

Imagine a quiet dinner at a good restaurant: soft lighting, maybe a candle, music low. You feel calm. When your brain is in that state it comes out of "grab all you can" mode and into "sit, relax, savor" mode — and in that mode you enjoy the meal more and eat less.

Part of setting the atmosphere is making the people in the room matter more than the people on television. Make your dining area a screen-free zone and you might get a chance to make friends with your family.