Maybe you’re at work and a deadline is barreling down on you. And that vending machine in the hallway is calling your name. Loudly. Or you’re vegging out in front of the television and you have cheese puffs — or chocolate cake or corn chips — on the brain.

According to a new poll by ShopSmart, the shopping magazine from the publisher of Consumer Reports, 85 percent of women admit to snacking between meals and eat two snacks a day on average. The poll also found that snacking has either prevented women from losing weight or caused them to gain weight (53 percent) but 24 percent say it’s helped them lose weight. The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted the nationally representative poll, a telephone survey of 1,003 women aged 18 and older.

“Planning your snacks can take the edge off hunger and prevent mealtime pig-outs,” said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. “The trick is to make the most of your in-between-meal noshing by choosing the right foods.”

True snacking confessions

ShopSmart’s findings include:

• Over two-fifths (41 percent) of women who snack claim their snacking habits have been affected by the slowing economy.

• For most part, this impact has been positive with nearly one-quarter (23 percent) snacking more healthily and 17 percent snacking less often.

• Fifteen percent of women hide snacks from their spouse, co-workers and friends.

• Thirty-five percent rarely or never check nutrition labels on snacks.

• Chocolate is the No. 1 addictive snack, with 24 percent unable to resist the temptation. Chips and pretzels were No. 2 at 19 percent.

• Women curb snack attacks by drinking water (78 percent) and/or keeping busy (73 percent).

• The 25 percent of women who routinely skip breakfast are more likely to snack in the middle of the night, down a big bag of chips in one sitting, and munch out in front of the television when they were not hungry.

Snacking triggers

ShopSmart shares the top-five triggers that spark mindless munching and tips to put you in control.

• Trigger No. 1: Going to the movies. To avoid theater pig-outs, go to CalorieKing.com since you are more apt to stave off temptation knowing how much fat and calories are in movie snacks. You can also limit the damage by purchasing the smallest bag and resisting the urge to super-size.

• Trigger No. 2: Shopping at the mall. Avoid shopping during mealtimes so you can bypass the food court when you are most prone to hunger. If it is mealtime, choose wisely at the food court by getting to know the healthy options available at fast food chains.

• Trigger No. 3: Feeling tired and stressed. When your day is going downhill, find other outlets like deep breathing or a quick stroll to squelch the urge to eat. Hide tempting treats in the back of the cupboard or the fridge and wrap them in foil so you don’t see them.

• Trigger No. 4: Going to a party. Navigate past eye-catching spreads by planning your plate. As soon as you arrive, grab a low-cal, nonalcoholic drink to keep one of your hands occupied, making it difficult to pile food on a plate or use a knife and fork. Then, scan the whole buffet, fill your plate once and then hit the brakes.

• Trigger No. 5: Zoning out in front of the TV. Prevent overeating in front of the TV by separating the activities: focus on enjoying your food, and then watch TV. Divide and conquer by putting snacks in small baggies and eat just one. Along the same lines, do not eat from the carton or box. Put it on a plate or in a bowl and just eat that much.