Have you ever found yourself staring down at an empty bowl of ice cream wondering what just happened?

你是不是也遇到过这种情况：自己盯着空空如也的冰激凌杯，在想刚刚到底发生了什么？

Or holding an empty bag of M&Ms?

抑或傻乎乎地拎着被消灭干净的巧克力袋子？

Let's face it — no one consciously decides to sabotage¹ their diet. So how is it that your best intentions can be so blindsided by...by what?

面对现实吧——大家都不是有意识的要破坏自己的节食计划。那么，我们立志瘦身的初衷究竟是怎样被攻破的？又是被什么攻破的？

According to stimulus-response theory, we're often derailed by a kind of knee-jerk way of thinking: You see a TV commercial for a juicy bacon double cheeseburger (stimulus) and next thing you know you're driving to McDonald's (response).

根据刺激反应理论，我们常常会被下意识的思考方式所干扰：上一秒你在电视上看到培根双层芝士汉堡的广告（刺激），下一秒你就发现自己已经在开车去麦当劳的路上了（反应）。

In order to minimize this kind of mindless eating, you need to become aware of the circumstances that leave you most susceptible² to falling off the healthy food wagon³.

若要尽可能地控制这些无意识的贪吃行为，你需要了解哪些情境因素会使你更容易偏离健康饮食的轨道。

You are particularly susceptible to knee-jerk sabotage when:

在下面这些情况下，你尤其容易受下意识思考方式的影响：

1. You're stressed. Whether it's caused by life challenges, illness, or fatigue⁴, stress depletes⁵ you emotionally as well as physically⁶.

当你倍感压力时。生活中的挑战、疾病或劳累都会让你感到压力，而不管是哪一种都会在精神上和体力上击垮你。

When you become depleted⁷, food — especially the salty, sweet, fatty, high calorie kind — beckons⁸ you with promises of escape, sedation, and comfort. Ah!

当你感到被击垮时，食物——尤其是高盐、高糖、高脂、高卡路里的食物——就在向你招手了：来吧！我能让你逃离压力，镇静放松下来！啊，如此美好！

And these promises aren't exaggerations. Food does offer the relief you seek — well, at least until you swallow!

而且它们没说谎——食物（是的，吃进肚的食物），的确能帮我们释放压力。

2. You're bored. Boredom⁹ is an emotion that leaves you feeling fidgety and somewhat out of control. Your go-to comfort food not only promises the distracting pleasure of something to do, but will flood your brain with feel-good chemicals. Your restlessness is swept away by the blissful tranquility¹⁰ of escape.

当你无聊时。无聊会让你感觉烦躁不安、难以自控。这时你便向食物索取安慰，因为它不但能让你忙活起来，分散注意力，还会让你的大脑血液中流过令人愉快的化学物质。你的焦躁不安一扫而光，心头洋溢着成功摆脱空虚的喜悦和宁静。

3. You're watching TV (or otherwise distracted). We are creatures of habit as well as creatures of comfort. And what's more comforting — or mindless — than zoning out binge-watching your favorite TV series while digging into that bag of chips?

你在看电视的时候（或者其它思想不集中的时候）。人类是追求舒适感的生物，更是享受按习惯行事的生物。想象一下，当你可以放空大脑，一边放肆地追你最爱的电视剧，一边疯狂地吃薯片，如此舒适惬意，无忧无虑，夫复何求？

Mindless distraction¹¹ and snacking become ritualistic habits, just like a tub of popcorn¹² becomes a must at the movie theater.

放空大脑、吃零食好像已成为一种固定的搭配，就像看电影就必须吃一桶爆米花一样。

4. You're depressed¹³ or anxious. Emotional struggle and stress are inseparable, leaving you feeling desperate and out of control. Destructive eating is an anesthetic¹⁴ to your emotional pain and discomfort¹⁵.

你沮丧或焦虑的时候。情绪上的困扰总是和压力相伴相生，让你感觉歇斯底里，不受控制。而大吃大喝就像麻醉剂，让你暂时忘却情绪上的痛苦和不适。

The feel-good chemical dopamine is released in the brain and — at least while you're eating — your emotional pain is numbed¹⁶.

这时，大脑会释放一种名为多巴胺的化学物质，你的情绪痛苦会被暂时麻醉——至少在你吃东西的时候是这样的。

5. You're in a restaurant or planning to go out to eat. This is where your mind begins to "graze:" "Hmm, what am I in the mood for tonight?"

你在餐馆或者正打算去下馆子的时候。这时你的大脑就开始臆想了：“哎呀呀，今晚吃点什么好呢？”

This is "mind-tasting." Once you begin to mind-taste, you're already putting in motion the physiological¹⁷ changes associated with actually eating those delicious foods. Mind-tasting is a surefire way to open the door to destructive eating.

这就是“臆想的美味”。一旦你开始臆想美味，你就会经历真正品尝美食时才会有的心理变化。所以臆想美味必然导致大吃大喝。

6. You feel your stomach growl¹⁸. You haven't eaten in a few hours, it's almost lunch time, and your stomach growls¹⁹. For many people, this sets off a small panic: "I'm starving! I need to eat something right now."

你觉得肚子在叫的时候。好几个小时没吃东西了，又快到午饭饭点了，于是肚子开始叫了。而这会引起许多人的心理小恐慌：“饿死我了！必须马上吃点东西才行。”

In typical knee-jerk fashion, you're conditioned to jump when your stomach beckons. More often than not, it's your mind, not your body, that needs to be fed.

这是典型的下意识行为：肚子一叫，你就习惯性地坐不住了。但往往真正饿的不是你的肚子，而是你的大脑。

7. You're alone or lonely. Loneliness is a stressful state, which at times is unavoidable. We try to reduce the stress of loneliness by using food to fill the emptiness in our lives.

你独自一人或倍感孤独的时候。孤独能让人感到压力，这是不可避免的。于是我们用食物来填充空虚，以此减轻随孤独而来的压力。

Food, quite literally²⁰, "fills" us. And when you're feeling empty and alone, being full can be quite comforting.

直白的说，食物就是能使我们充实的“实物”。如果你觉得空虚寂寞，吃饱肚子能让你舒服许多。

8. You see or smell a nostalgic comfort food. The sight or aroma²¹ of a childhood comfort food can release in the brain the same chemicals involved in tasting these foods (mind-tasting again).

当你看到或闻到能让你怀旧的食物时。当你看到或闻到童年吃过的食物时，大脑会释放出和真正品尝这些食物时相同的化学物质（又是臆想美味）。

It's why fast food restaurants have pictures on their menus. You stand there mind-tasting each possibility until you settle on the one choice that seems to offer the most satisfaction.

这也解释了为什么快餐店会在菜单上附图片。你只需站在那里就能臆想出每一道菜的美味，然后就拿定主意选择了看起来最好吃的那一道。

9. You've had an alcoholic²² beverage²³ — or three. Alcohol distorts both your physical and psychological perceptions of hunger. You probably already know that alcohol adds calories, weakens self-discipline, and stimulates²⁴ hunger.

你喝了一杯酒精饮料的时候——或者三杯。酒精会使你对饥饿感产生错觉。你也许已经知道了这些事实：酒精会增加卡路里摄取量，削弱自律能力，并刺激你的饥饿感。

Having a drink before or during your meal will lower your inhibitions and diminish your willpower. Save the wine for dessert.

饭前或饭中喝酒会使你放下防备，削弱你的意志力。所以红酒还是留作饭后吃甜点的时候喝吧。

10. You're tired, you have access to junk food and it's late at night. Fatigue reduces your capacity for tolerating stress. Nighttime is when things begin to wind down, you've had a hard day, and you're hoping to reward yourself for having survived the day's demands.

你觉得累了，此时正值深夜，手头又有现成垃圾食品的时候。劳累会削弱你对压力的抵抗力。夜晚时分，万籁俱寂，你已经忙碌了一整天，此时不由得希望能犒劳犒劳自己。

Or perhaps it's your knee-jerk, ritualistic need for a "night cap" before retiring. It's easy to fall prey²⁵ to “tomorrow is another day” thinking and go for the brownies and glass of milk.

又或者，这只是你下意识的想法，你其实只是想在睡前再例行公事来点夜宵而已。你轻而易举地说服自己，随便今天怎么样了，反正“明天又是新的一天”，然后就兴致勃勃地跑去拿巧克力糕饼和牛奶了。