Developing healthy eating habits is an important part of weight loss and maintenance. An individual’s eating habits are often influenced my many factors including 
childhood eating habits, current living and work situations, and confidence in food preparation to name just a few. Some eating habits are, cultural (this is how I think I should eat to fit in), emotional (eating because of stress, boredom, celebrating) and/or social (I eat because its expected in certain settings). For some, their current eating habits are obstacles to loosing weight and keeping it off. Changing those unhelpful eating habits can be beneficial yet difficult. It may be helpful when first making these changes to apply new rules to eating, this can provide some structure until the new habits feel more natural and come more easily.
Only eat when sitting at the table
No eating on the run, in the car, in front of the TV or computer or on the phone. If you are standing up you shouldn’t be eating. Establishing this rule allows for more mindful eating and can actually result in appreciating the taste of food as well as minimizing overeating.
Put your fork down between bites
Slower eating allows for more appreciation for foods tastes and textures. It provides a chance to realize when we are actually full.
Healthy doesn’t mean boring
Avoid eating the same thing each day. Some meals may be easy to keep similar, but some variety can be helpful in reducing diet fatigue. Consider looking for new ideas from reliable websites, books, friends or a dietitian. There may also be healthy cooking classes available in your area.
Eat on a small plate
Studies have shown that individuals who eat from a smaller plate will eat less, yet still identify with being full after finishing a meal. Additionally, it helps to keep portion sizes appropriate.
No second helpings
Consider filling that smaller plate at the stove and bring it to the table. Avoiding family style (serving bowls at the table) will help minimize second helpings because there is one more step involved in refilling a plate.
Only eat “risky foods” in certain settings
If there are foods that are so good that they are always eating in excess set boundaries about where and/or when they are eaten. For example: only eat pizza with 2 or more people, this way it’s impossible to eat the whole thing, or only eat ice-cream from an ice-cream shop (order a small) if the ice-cream isn’t in the fridge its easier to control the frequency and portion size. Whenever possible, keep these “risky foods” in the house.