I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds. Just today.h And I’ll try this for a year to see what happens.

Is this a meal? Have I already eaten? Asking these two questions have kept me from eating more empty calories than anything else I’ve ever done. And it’s funny — they look like such simple questions. But they’re so easy to forget.t Even now after almost a year of following The Commitment, I find myself absent-mindedly reaching for a bag of salty snacks or the freezer door.

Last year I didn’t have anything stopping me from opening that bag or scrounging through the freezer. I wrote about my old snacking habits last month and I should reread that story whenever I feel discouraged.0 Because I may have a bad moment here or there, I may not be as strong as I like but now I have a little voice in my head asking two simple questions that keep me more-or-less on track.

You may not be ready to competely stop eating between meals or taking seconds. But would it help at all if you asked those questions before you did?o Asking the questions might not stop you from eating. But, maybe it would give you just enough time to decide you really want it.r And that would make it a much more enjoyable treat than if you ate it thoughtlessly.

But asking the questions could save you a couple hundred calories a day. Or more.