You know the old joke about being on a ‘see-food’ diet? 

“When I see food, I eat it!”

As clever as this may be, there’s a kernel of truth here.  It seems to be human nature that if there’s more food in front of you, you tend to eat more than you should.  Overeating is especially likely if you’re distracted, for example if you’re eating in front of the television, eating while driving, or eating while talking on the phone.

But it’s possible to avoid overeating.  The concept here is portion control - in other words, eating a reasonable amount of food at each sitting.  You can enjoy almost any food you like, as long as you eat it in moderation.  Unfortunately,our busy lives and our culture of excess can make it difficult to exercise good portion control.

According to Alberta Health Services, there are some simpletechniques you can use to help control the size of your portions:

• Eat within the first 2 hours of waking up.
• Eat at least 3 balanced meals a day.
• At meals eat more vegetables and fruit than other foods.
• If meals are more than 5 hours apart have a snack.  Make it a fruit or vegetable.
• Use smaller bowls, plates and glasses.
• Don't eat food like ice cream and chips out of the container or bag. Put a smaller portion on a plate or in a bowl and put the bag away.
• Serve yourself in the kitchen. Put leftovers away before you eat. Large bowls of food on the table makes it easy to eat more food.
• Try not to eat in front of the TV.
• Stop eating when you no longer feel hungry.  You don't have to "clean your plate".  Your body can tell you when you are full.
• Wait 20 minutes before you take a second helping. 

Source: HealthLink Alberta, http://www.capitalhealth.ca/EspeciallyFor/WeightWise/Whats_a_Healthy_Portion_Size.htm

Holidays, dinner parties and other gatherings where there is a lot of food on display can present a particular challenge. The key is to enjoy the foods you like without using the festivities as an excuse to overindulge.  You can also keep yourself honest by not showing up to the feast with an empty stomach.  Eat normally throughout the day, especially foods high in protein and fibre and with a high water content.  These foods will make youfeel fuller and more satisfied all day, preventing you from gorging yourself during the big meal. 

The Dietitians of Canada have an excellent set of tips to avoid packing on the pounds during the holidays, which you can find at the following link: http://www.dietitians.ca/news/media.asp?fn=view&id=7479&idstring#

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Post-scriptum:

Obesity 

If you feel that things have gotten out of control and you’re carrying extra weight that you can’t seem to shed on your own, there is help available.  Physicians in the emerging specialty of ‘bariatric medicine’ can help you deal with the health impacts of overweight and obesity, and the services  provided should be covered by your provincial health insurance plan (e.g. OHIP).  The bariatric medical approach includes advice on diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification, lifestyle changes and medical treatments when necessary.

Dr. Sean Wharton (an internal medicine specialist practicing in the area of bariatric medicine) has an educational blog with information about obesity based on scientific evidence – you can see it here:

Dr. Sean Wharton’s Bariatric Medicine Blog

http://blog.whartonmedicalclinic.com/

And for an overview of the health impacts of obesity, see the following link from Health Canada:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/life-vie/obes-eng.php

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Dr. Karl’s Take Home Message:

1. A key strategy in maintaining a healthy weight is to avoid overeating, and there are simple methods to help maintain good portion control

2. The holidays and other special occasions and gatherings should not be used as an excuse to overeat.

3. Obesity is a complex medical problem that should be addressed by physicians in the field of bariatric medicine (and not by fad or crash diets)