Man, this is a big problem I have.

I swear that it's like my brain thinks that every size container is single serving size.

1.5 oz box of jelly beans? Single serving. 6 oz bag of jelly beans? Single serving.

1.25 oz bag of potato chips? Single serving. 6 oz bag of potato chips? Single serving.

It's like my brain thinks that if it comes in a package, it's single serving size. For a while I tried buying true "single serving" packages in multipacks, like those 100 calorie packs. However, I also have an amazing ability to go through the whole box of 100 calorie packs in one sitting.

Anyone else have this problem?

I'm with you on that one although I've improved greatly over the years. It has taken a lot of work to get out of that mindset.

YES! ido this ALL the time! its the main thing i struggle with so you arent alone... a single serving, just doesnt seem to do it for my brain. i have to eat the whole thing, arrrrrrg. i cant have just one peice of chocolate i have to have 12! AHHHHH

good luck to you. i dont have much advice... other than willpower. sorry. but your not alone!! :hugs:

-Lana

I absolutely cannot buy those 100 calories packs because I will seriously eat the whole box. It's horrible. I have a hard time with servings too out of bigger packages but I am doing my best to get better at this!!! I hear ya!

never never sit down with a package of anything that has more than one serving in it. even better, after going to the grocery, divide everything into single portion baggies. throw the original container away.
eat slowly. savor what youre eating. chew until your jaw falls off. drink frequently between bites and watch for the tell-tale sign that it may be time to stop eating... THE BIG SIGH. you may have never noticed it, i swear by it.
when youre eating a meal, you inherently pause and sigh at some point. at that point, imho, you need to stop and reevalute if you are still hungry.

If you have a problem with a particular food, my take is, then just don't have it in the house. Why torture yourself? If you find you overeat jelly beans, then don't buy jelly beans, IMO. I find for me, when I start eating sweet foods it makes me want sweet foods even more. I do believe in everything in moderation, but that doesn't mean I have to keep it in my house. And for me, in the beginning there was no "moderation". I had to completely do without certain foods. Completely. If I knew from "moderation" then I never would have gotten to be 287 lbs. There are just certain foods that I will never, ever allow in my home again. Period.

I agree. There are certain things I just can't have in the house. When I started losing weight again last year, I tried buying a box of low cal ice cream sandwiches or ice cream bars. The box would be gone. Now I don't buy ice cream at all. Once in a while, I'll go to McDonalds and get a cup of soft serve, eat 1/4 to 1/2 the cup and throw the rest away (or share it with DH).

watchhershrink: Those are some good tips. I hadn't thought of the "big sigh" before. But, if you eat slowly enough, you do have that moment. Great advice!

Make up your own 100 calorie snacks. Get little ziploc snack size bags and fill them up when you get home from the grocery store.

The key is balance. When you want a snack don't expect 100 calories of chips to satisfy you. Have the 100 calories of cookies/chips then a snack bag of carrots or apples or 1/2 a sandwich.

I use up my snack bags for almonds - they are so high calorie. I count them out when I get in control (when I get home from the grocery store)

I know it's hard with food labels. I hate when a label says "3 1/2 servings" who is going to eat 1/2 a serving?! or when a label says "about 2 servings" about?!

Somewhere in the back of my mind Nelie I recall having this conversation before. But yeah, for me one of my big no-nos is ice cream. Didn't matter if it was low-fat/low sugar/low - ANYthing. I have ZERO control with it. I simply can't even START eating it. Maybe one day I will do as you do and get a single serving portion - out somewhere. But for right now, I am too afraid it will send me on a vicious cycle, out of control. I'm just not willing to take the chance.

I read the best book on this subject - Mindless Eating. I highly, highly recommend it! Like some of the other posters, I just don't eat my "trigger" foods. If I know I can't stop, I don't start.

Glory I read that book a few months ago too. It talked about this in more detail. Many people (including me) assume that a portion is whatever is in the bag. One thing that I thought funny was a pop-tart. A wrapped pack of pop-tarts is two servings and it was done that way years ago due to factory limitations (I forgot the details exactly). Yet almost no one eats only one poptart. We almost always eat them both because they are wrapped together.

Another thing I remember from that book is that in Japan, you can buy single wrapped cookies. I just thought that was neat, because occasionally I might have wanted a cookie, but opening a bag of cookies is akin to opening pandora's box for me.