Are you a victim of second-hand eating?  This kind of unintended eating comes in lots of different forms and might be sabotaging your health goals!

Let’s look at the different varieties of second-hand eating and how you can avoid their pitfalls.

Meetings at work – breakfast meetings with doughnuts and muffins, lunch meetings with a cold-cut platter and a late meeting means pizza or Chinese food.  Sounds too familiar?  Well, while we're busy working and thinking, our eating can often become mindless and unnecessary.  If you know you have a meeting scheduled, try to eat a healthy, filling snack or meal beforehand.  You can also bring some fruit or a small baggie of nuts in with you so you have something to munch on while you're brainstorming.  This will keep your options open so you're not stuck feeling hungry with only meeting food to eat.

Free food at work – it’s your coworkers birthday and the office is throwing a party, or you have to pass by the obligatory candy dish.  You've already had a nice, healthy lunch, but it’s there and it’s free, so why not, right?  It's perfectly fine to participate in these indulgences every once in a while, but if you find that these events are happening at the office too often, you're going to have to find a way to say no to the extra food and sweets.

Happy hour or a girls'/guys' night out – we’re social creatures and eating is something we all have in common – that’s why we do it together.  When you go out to eat with friends, however, you tend to order like they do and eat more without thinking.  Pack a few extra drinks on top of that and you've just consumed enough calories for the next few days!  A night out with your friends doesn't always have to result in additional calories or poor food choices.  Try enjoying the company and talking more – you will find that you eat less.  Ask the waiter to wrap up half of your meal before even bringing it to the table.  Many restaurants are happy to accommodate and you will find that the half portion is often more than enough food.  You can split a dessert with everyone at the table to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Also, consciously limit the number of drinks you have to one – remember that alcoholic drinks are packed full of empty calories!

Holidays and parties – it’s a joyous occasion!  Or, it’s your vacation, so you feel you've earned the right to eat whatever you want.  Think of the long-term goals you're trying to achieve!  Also, think ahead to how you'll feel tomorrow morning after having 3 slices of cake and 5 glasses of wine!  It's good to enjoy yourself, but again, the key is moderation.  Have a slice of cake, but a small one.  If you eat it slowly and take the time to enjoy it, you'll find that it's really all you need to fulfill your desire for it.  Also, let other people take home the leftovers!  If you don’t keep that food in your house, you won’t be tempted to eat it again.

Bake sales, girl scouts – you’re making a donation and helping a good cause, so it’s ok, right?  It’s wonderful that you helped your niece’s troop reach their fund raising goal or that you supported breast cancer research, but now you're left with 10 boxes of thin mints and 20 cupcakes.  To avoid these unnecessary sweets and still be philanthropic, try donating money without taking any goods in return.  In fact, this will doubly benefit the cause, since they will receive your money but still be able to sell the baked goods to someone else.
 

In all of these situations, a little planning and preparation can go a long way.  It's important to stay in control in order to reach your goals.  You always have a choice about eating what is put in front of you – knowing this makes you less likely to succumb to these all-too-common cases of second-hand eating.