Your Thermostat
If you're not careful, the layers you put on this winter could be permanent. Research has found that people tend to eat more during prolonged cold temperatures than during hot periods because it takes more energy (i.e., calories) to maintain our standard 98.6°F. (That may be why some sly restaurants dial down the heat.) Plus, says Nanette Stroebele, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado at Denver's Center for Human Nutrition, people make different menu selections depending on the state of the mercury: gooey high-fat, high-carb comfort foods when it's cold versus cool foods like salads when it's sweltering.
The Fix: Feeling chilly? Start with a bowl of broth-based soup, which will warm you up (and help cut overall calorie consumption at that meal, according to studies). Also consider bumping up the heat before you dive into a plate of mac 'n' cheese. If you just increase the temperature a bit, it can help you make better choices.
Another good idea: Before taking a bite, ask yourself if you'd still be eating right now if you were eating food that was the opposite temperature (say, a bowl of sorbet instead of chili nachos). Lots of people think they're hungry when all they really need is a sweater. (So bring one when you eat out!)
Your Job
Too bad weight gain doesn't qualify you for workers' comp: A national CareerBuilder survey recently found that 41 percent of people have put on pounds at their current jobs. "One study suggests that people who eat at their desks and mindlessly play at their computers eat more and are more likely to underestimate how much they actually consumed," says Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at California State University at Los Angeles.
The Fix: If you can't take your lunch to the cafeteria or a nearby park, at least eat it away from your screen, says Durvasula. When you focus on mindful eating and enjoying your food, you're more likely to notice when you start feeling full and to stop eating, she says. And stash the candy jar: Researchers at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab found that people ate twice as much chocolate from a clear dish as from an opaque one, and ate the least when the dish was at least six feet away from their desks.
Your Shut-Eye
Researchers know the link between skimping on z's and wearing a size XXL is nothing new: Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on the hormones that regulate your appetite and leaves you reaching for sugary foods as a quick pick-me-up. But nearly 30 percent of adults reported an average of less than six hours of slumber a night in a National Health Interview Survey.
The Fix: If getting more mattress time is out of the question, even out how you eat. "The research on willpower shows that when our energy is depleted, we make bad choices and tend to eat more bad foods," Durvasula says. Since you're already running on an energy deficit, space out your meals so that your blood glucose levels remain as steady as possible. Get a mix of protein and fiber each time you eat—both take longer to digest and slow the sudden dump of sugar into your bloodstream that happens with simple carbs.
Your Period
Estrogen may play a role in regulating what and how much we eat, so yeah, cravings can be real. But biology isn't always to blame. "Our menstrual cycles can feel like the ultimate excuse to munch," says Durvasula. "We may think, OK, I'm having my period; let me find something that makes me feel good."
The Fix: A week before your cycle, add extra dairy to your diet. In a study, women who had four servings a day of low-fat dairy or fortified OJ were 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with PMS (and its glorious cravings) than those who ate only one serving a day of those foods.
And while you shouldn't treat your period like a get-out-of-jail-free card for calories, don't completely ban goodies. "Deprivation usually results in failure," says Durvasula. Allow yourself a small treat, like a one-ounce square of chocolate.
Your Favorite TV Show
Television time is already prime snacking hour, but if you really get sucked in, be careful what you suck down. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch found that the more engrossed you are in a TV program or movie, the more you snack. "Humans have only so much head space at a given time," says study author Elizabeth Lyons, Ph.D., M.P.H. "So when you're paying attention to what is happening to Don Draper, that pushes out the space you might otherwise use to determine how much you're eating or drinking."
The Fix: If you can't commit to not nibbling while in front of the tube, your best bet is to portion out what you want to eat before getting deep into an episode. "If we've learned anything from this study, it is that people will find a way to eat," Lyons says. Even tasks that kept their hands busy didn't stop them from pausing to grab food—hence, advance prep is key.
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