--- title: 5 Easy, Scientifically-Proven Tips for Controlling Your Eating Over the Holidays description: 1) Eating slowly allows more time for the “full” feeling to kick in. 2) Eat off a small plate. Without realizing it, we often judge... canonical: https://time.com/3606249/control-your-eating-holidays/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-27T05:01:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:03:06.623Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Easy, Scientifically-Proven Tips for Controlling Your Eating Over the Holidays og:description: 1) Eating slowly allows more time for the “full” feeling to kick in. 2) Eat off a small plate. Without realizing it, we often judge... og:url: https://time.com/3606249/control-your-eating-holidays/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1b40274fdc153f1/69876b182dce011db19dc068/holiday-table.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: holiday table og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Easy, Scientifically-Proven Tips for Controlling Your Eating Over the Holidays twitter:description: 1) Eating slowly allows more time for the “full” feeling to kick in. 2) Eat off a small plate. Without realizing it, we often judge... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1b40274fdc153f1/69876b182dce011db19dc068/holiday-table.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Easy, Scientifically-Proven Tips for Controlling Your Eating Over the Holidays by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 27, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  OrganicTable Decoration OrganicTable DecorationGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 27, 2014 5:01 AM CUT 1) [Eating slowly](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-eating-slowly-make-you-eat-less "undefined") allows more time for the “full” feeling to kick in. 2) Eat off a [small plate](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-your-mind-play-tricks-on-you-when-it-com "undefined"). Without realizing it, we often judge whether we’re done by visual cues like an empty plate. 3) [Keep the serving dishes in the kitchen](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-easily-get-yourself-to-eat-less "undefined"). Merely having to get up to get more makes us less likely to keep eating. 4) Sit next to the people [who are skinny](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-body-size-of-those-you-eat-with-affe "undefined") and [who never eat much](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-really-hunger-and-tasty-food-driving-yo "undefined"). We’re influenced by those around us, even if we think we’re not. 5) If you do blow it and gorge yourself there’s still an upside: overeating on Thanksgiving can make you [less likely to spend so much money on Black Friday](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-you-pig-out-at-thanksgiving-are-you-less-l "undefined"). For more tips, check out [Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345526880?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345526880 "undefined"). It’s by Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/11/5-easy-scientifically-proven-tips-for-control/ "undefined")**_._** **Join 135K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3606249/control-your-eating-holidays/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3606249/control-your-eating-holidays/"},"headline":"5 Easy, Scientifically-Proven Tips for Controlling Your Eating Over the Holidays","datePublished":"2014-11-27T05:01:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:03:06.623Z","description":"1) Eating slowly allows more time for the “full” feeling to kick in. 2) Eat off a small plate. 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