This one is from the Summer 2012 issue of the Self Guide to Flat Abs Made easy.

Should I eat a cookie? The 10 second cure for stress eating.

Fending off a snack attack can be as simple as asking, Am I hungry? When a craving doesn’t come from hunger, food will never satisfy it, says Michelle May, MD author of East What You Love, Love What You EAst. “Treat your body like your car. Check your fuel gauge before you fill up.? Imagine 1 is starving and 10 is full, and aim to eat at 4, when you stomach feels fairly empty but it isn’t clanging with hunger pangs. To prevent bingeing, eat before you feel signals such as irritability, light-headedness or headaches.

Retrain your brain. If 10 seconds of contemplation reveals that you’re not truly hungry, there are ways to lower your cortisol level without calories. “Do anything that let’s you take a breath: Chat with a friend, watch a soap opera, or hang from the monkey bars,” says STephanie Smith, Psy. D., a psychologist in Erie, Colorado. Change your routine and when you’re feeling stressed, your brain will crave your brand of fun instead of treats.