You're at a family reunion. You've managed to stay away from the creamy potato salad and the barbecue ribs, but then your grandmother appears with her famous apple pie. You have a bite – to avoid offending her – and next thing you know, you’re back for seconds. Every day we deal with diet distractions – triggers that can cause us to overeat or make unhealthy food choices. 

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That’s why it's important to understand your eating triggers and learn strategies to deal with them, says Courtney Burtscher, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Maywood, Ill.

Here are five common diet downfalls – and how to overcome each.

1) Family pressure: Your mother pushes you to try the sugar cookies she just baked.

Why you give in: You don’t want to offend. Every family has “food pushers” who are hard to turn down, even for the most dedicated dieter, says Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food (New Harbinger Publications Inc., 2009).

Solution: Have a direct conversation about your eating goals whenever possible. If that's not possible, get creative. “Tell her, ‘I love your cookies so much. I'm going to put some in a baggie and take them home,’” Albers says.

2) Social snacking: At a party, you make multiple trips to the dessert tray and drink too much wine – like everyone else there.

Why you give in: It’s the mirroring effect, Albers says. “We tend to see what others around us are eating and do what they're doing.”

Solution: Sit down, Albers says. When you move around at parties you tend to graze more and lose track of what you're eating. Another tactic: Eat a healthy meal or snack before you go to the party so you’re less inclined to overindulge, and stay away from resolve-busting alcoholic beverages.

3) A Great Deal: At a restaurant you order an appetizer, entrée and dessert because they are  available for one fixed price.

Why you give in: People want to get the most for their money, Burtscher says, and “it can distort our perception of what’s healthy.”

Solution: This food trigger requires a mindset change, Albers says. Consider that overeating or eating unhealthy but budget-friendly foods can lead to weight gain and contribute to poorer health in the long run.

Burtscher offers a more immediate strategy: “Take a minute and think to yourself, ‘Is this what I want or need?’"

4) Emotional eating: You ate an entire bag of potato chips because you were feeling a little blue.

Why you give in: “When we eat food based on mood, we're going for instant pleasure,” Albers says.

Solution: Recognize that your mood is behind your desire to eat and choose a different kind of comfort – a hot bath, warm tea or a massage – instead of eating, Albers says.

5) Cleaning your plate: The amount of food on your plate at your favorite restaurant looks OK to you – and besides, you ordered something fairly healthy. 

Why you give in: Determining serving size isn't easy. Numerous studies show that we are poor guessers when it comes to the amount of calories, fat, sodium and sugar a meal contains. Keep in mind that a portion size and a serving size are two different things. A serving size is a recommended or measured amount of food. A portion size is the amount of food that you choose to eat; it can be larger or smaller than a serving size. 

Solution: Educate yourself, Albers says. Many restaurants have nutritional information on their websites, so you might be able to figure out what you should order – and whether you need to ask for half of it in a take-home bag – before you get there. 

Use visual cues to avoid portion distortion. A single serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards; a single serving of potatoes is about the size of your fist.