This is my problem too. I've tried a couple of things, with inconsistent success. (Actually they work, the inconsistency is whether I stick to them.)
The most successful is to keep my hands busy with something that I don't want to mix with food...knitting, needlepoint, even a jigsaw puzzle. I have a hard time just sitting and watching tv, (which makes it easy to watch and eat) but keeping my hands busy and "clean" really helps.
The second strategy is to only eat at the kitchen table, not to allow myself to snack other places. I got this one from a study on behavioral patterns. The theory is that more you can limit the association with "eating" to specific places, the fewer places will say food. If you often eat in front of the tv then sitting in front of the tv becomes a trigger that makes you think of eating.
The third strategy is to make myself wait 10 minutes before I give into impulse eating. I say to myself that I can have the chocolate/potato chips/sandwich in 10 minutes if I still want it. About half the time I am much less interested ten minutes later.
Good luck...I'm interested in other folks ideas!
Pandora
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