What if you forgot completely about everything you ate as soon as you were finished eating it? A (very small) study in people with amnesia found that they would simply eat another meal if it was served outside their memory window, even if it was shortly afterward. (Interestingly, they showed a preference for different foods than were previously served — their bodies remembered something about those meals, but they weren’t conscious of having eaten them.)
Researchers have also tried the reverse: they’ve asked people (with normal memory) to recall what they ate last before they ate again, and found a tendency to eat less after the recall. This is all part of a growing body of research that shows that how much we eat is influenced by almost everything except our actual hunger or need for nutrition (or our subjective desire for a particular dish) – it’s based on clock time, on being in a social setting, on being tired or cranky or sad, on just having food in front of us (or in easy reach whenever we get up from our desk).
The Good News
Detailed food tracking and calorie counting takes time and practice to do well, even for people who aren’t actively turned off by it. Research on simple listings shows that you can start extra small to get pointed in the right direction. I always suggest beginning by keeping a simple list through the day. (“Latte. Donut. 2 hard-boiled eggs. Handful of almonds.” And so on.) One nice feature of this method is that you can ask yourself “Do I really want to put those Hershey Kisses on the list?” instead of automatically grabbing a couple as you pass the receptionist’s desk on the way in from lunch. (Full disclosure: my answer is usually “yes. yes, I do.” and onto the list it goes, but this helps me eat a few instead of all of them.) This research offers a still easier way to get started with mindful eating: take a moment to ask yourself, “What did I eat last?” That may be enough to curb snacking — or encourage you to choose something you’re deliberately trying to eat more of (for me, that’s fiber).
Image from Thinkstock, used at the first link.