How Can I Avoid Food Binging at Parties?

One of the five Diet Danger Zones that trip most people up is "Party Binging." Parties can be especially merciless on us because of the variety, convenience, and distractions they provide.

Nearly all of my answers to these FAQs are based on scientific, published research my Lab and I have conducted on food and behavior. Sometimes, however, I like to add ideas and tips --sometimes untested --that readers of Mindless Eating have passed on.

For instance, every few months I ask visitors to share their ideas of what they mind most useful to prevent them from overeating --such as in one of the five Dietary Danger Zones like Party Binging.

When asking about Party Binging a few months ago, there were over 150 different ideas people mentioned. A lot of them were pretty standard, but a lot of them were really unique. Here are the ones most frequently given:

• Eat a healthy meal before I go to the party so as to not arrive hungry
• If it doesn’t taste as good as I thought, I don’t swallow it
• Drink plenty of water during the party (with ice and citrus twist to make it look like a real drink)I try not to eat at parties at all to stick to my planned schedule of when to eat
• Don’t drink alcohol because it makes me want to eatMake sure you don’t stay in the room with the food
• Don’t go back for seconds
• Keep in forefront of mind how long I will need to exercise if I eat tons of calories
• Focus on talking to people instead of the food and always keep a crowd around me

These all won't work for everyone, but if a couple will work for you at the next party, try them out. There were a whole lot of real creative things people did, but we'll save those for another party day.