Kitchen Hack’s That Will Help You Lose Weight

You could shed some pounds by making minor changes at home, according to Brian Wansink, author of the new book “Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.”

Wansink, who is also the director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, told TODAY Health, says losing weight is actually never ending.

“If you look at most dieters, they try to become slim by will power. They try to resist every single thing. The problem of becoming slim by will power is it’s a 24/7 sort of job, it’s never ending. What we find is that by simply changing our immediate environment … it ends up leading people to mindlessly eat less.”

Here are eight small changes to make in your kitchen that could lead you to eat less. He believes making just one change and sticking with it for 25 days could help you lose 2 pounds a month.

1. De-clutter your kitchen

When participants in one experiment saw snack foods sitting on the counters of a kitchen that was very cluttered and disorganized, they ate about 44 percent more than others who saw the same foods in a very tidy kitchen.

“It’s almost like if your environment is cluttered and out of control, why do I need to be in control myself?”

2. Avoid leaving food out on your counters

People who had chips or cookies visible on their kitchen counter weighed about 10 pounds more than people with bare counters, according to one study, Wansink said.

“Simply the presence of food ends up being a really powerful cue.”
Every time you pass by any food, you have to ask: Do I want one? The answer might be “no” 20 times in a row, but then “no’s” soon start becoming “maybe’s” and the 30th time you look at the snack, the answer will be “yes”.

3. Make the kitchen a less appealing hangout

The more time people spend in the kitchen, the more they tend to eat. Therefore, make your kitchen a little less “lounge-able”: Get rid of the TV set, have less comfortable chairs and make any other changes to send people away instead of inviting them to stay.

4. Put out a fruit bowl

The average person who has a fruit bowl in their house weighs 8 pounds less than their neighbor next door who doesn’t have one.

“Most of us don’t think on a daily basis, ‘Oh I better get a piece of fruit.’ But if you see it seven times during the day, (you may think), ‘Oh, an apple sounds pretty good.’”

5. Wrap tempting left overs in the fridge in aluminum foil

“We’re very unlikely to unwrap things that are in aluminum foil, we’re kind of lazy.”

Hide anything fattening underneath aluminum, but keep covering healthy food in plastic wrap so you can actually see it and be more likely to reach for it.

6. Downsize your plates, glasses and utensils

Simply downsizing your plates or bowls makes a difference: If you switch from a 12-inch to 10-inch plate, you’ll serve about 22 percent less, Wansink said.

If you use a table spoon rather than a “big honking serving spoon,” you’ll serve about 14 percent less, he said.

7. Hide junk food and other tempting snacks

Stash high-calorie snacks in an inconveniently placed cupboard, one that’s way down low or way up high. Instead of having the snacks spread throughout the kitchen, reserve one semi off-limits place that holds the tempting foods.

8. Serve dinner off the stove or counter, instead of having serving dishes on the table

This is a particularly strong tip for men, who tend to be fast eaters, Wansink said. They’ll often finish their dinner first and see people still eating, so they’ll have seconds from the serving plates on the table – not because they’re hungry, but just to pass the time.