Josie Spinardi’s book, How to Have Your Cake and Skinny Jeans Too is frequently recommended as it has some useful guidance for handling common situations that are associated with over-eating.

Spinardi refers to periods such as the one you describe as ‘transition periods’ between one state or activity and another (e.g., the commute between home and work; arriving home and the period before dinner; after dinner and before bed). She says that transitions tend to be associated with Recreational Eating because it’s a response to boredom or procrastination. Spinardi suggests designing/planning a more even balance of things you want to do and things you have to do, and planning them with an awareness of the transition times you find difficult.

A friend used to find that she ate when she returned home so now, she enters the front door, fastens the leash on her dog, exits the back door and they go for a stroll, during which she de-stresses from her work and then revises her plans (if necessary) for the evening.

So, is it possible pre-dinner temptation is a transition time that can be handled another way? Or is it more the smell and sight of the dinner that is driving the urge to eat?

Spinardi recommends creating a routine to signal the end-of-meal like brushing teeth, washing dishes, or going out for a walk. Plan a post-meal pleasure to look forward to, e.g., watching a TV show after dinner. Similarly, these routines can be used to handle transition periods.