How to Keep Yourself From Having That Second Piece of Pie

Being thoughtful about what you're eating—as opposed to blindly shoveling food into your mouth—is the key to mindful eating, a strategy that many weight-loss experts swear by. But a new analysis of 50 prior studies suggests there might be a caveat: Thinking about your food choices also gives you the opportunity to justify indulgences, according to the findings.

"People seem to be very creative in coming up with such reasons," says lead author Jessie De Witt Huberts, a Ph.D. candidate at Utrecht University, located in the Netherlands. "They can justify having the cake on account of the fact that it’s been a hard day, that they will exercise tomorrow, that it is a special occasion, or that it is impolite to refuse."

Luckily, you don't need a frontal lobotomy to prevent talking yourself into having a second helping of pie, says Women's Health nutrition expert Keri Glassman, M.S., R.D., judge of the upcoming show Cook Your Ass Off. The key is tricking your stomach and your subconscious into feeling fuller so you’re not even tempted to consider a second helping.

First, make sure you sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and during your meals since thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger. Also, start each meal with some veggies. They're packed with water (up to 90 percent of some veggies are H2O!) and also contain a ton of filling fiber.

Something else to keep in mind: Visual cues can override your subconscious into thinking you’ve eaten more than you actually have. Use this to your advantage by using small serving spoons or even regular soupspoons when you’re serving a crowd. The more times you have to scoop, the less you end up putting on your plate and in your belly, Glassman says. Also, avoid large plates whenever possible: Research from the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University shows that people who eat off of 6-inch plates feel like they’ve put away about 18 percent more than they really have—which means you won’t put yourself in a situation where you’re even thinking about whether or not you should have second helpings.