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Controlling impulses to give in to food that tempts us can be an ongoing struggle for many.

Instant and delayed gratification have been widely investigated, including the famous marshmallow test.

What drives us to eat at any given time is complex.

Coming up with solutions for impulsive eating is also complex.

We’ve all done it. Grabbed an extra piece of cake, eaten more pizza than we intended, given in to a seldom-seen treat. The siren call of temptation comes to all of us, sooner or later. Making a choice like that may morph into feeling bad about ourselves, labeling ourselves out of control or lazy. Many times, it's an isolated incident, but sometimes it can be a trend that can lead to unwanted weight gain.

Some studies have linked weight gain, obesity, and difficulties losing weight to impulse control, although the connection is often found not to be very robust. Still the question remains: Is the tendency to make impulsive food choices part of what can make maintaining a healthy weight so elusive for some?

Weight control is a large problem. Statistics tell us that last year, about 49% of Americans were trying to lose weight. That’s a lot of frustration and a lot of people trying to curb their enthusiasm, eat responsibly, and maintain the weight they would like for themselves.

Is impulse control the problem? Do we have difficulty delaying gratification?

The now-famous marshmallow test (1989) attempted to investigate instant and delayed gratification. In the test, investigators tempted four- and five-year-olds with the reward of two marshmallows if they managed to not eat one marshmallow for a certain period of........

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