So-called diet foods can sabotage the best weight loss intentions--presumably because people think the are free passes to indulge. For weight conscious people, portion-controlled snack bags seem to fail miserably at actually controlling portions, a study at Tilburg University in the Netherlands found: Given the option of two large bags of chips or nine snack size bags, 59% of the participants chose the smaller bags but ate twice as much as those who went for the large bags.
The researchers theorize that the mere option of eating "healthier" makes snackers feel they've achieved a goal, so they reward themselves for that with the indulgent choice.
Pay attention to portion size. People fool themselves into thinking they are having only 50 calories when they are really eating 200. Including lean protein, an egg, or a piece of chicken, at breakfast and at lunch can keep you from becoming ravenous between meals.
