Wanna Lose Weight? Use Small Plates

Want to lose 2lb a month? Simply eat from a smaller plate, researchers say. Small changes around the home – such as where we eat our meals and the size of plate we use – make a big difference, a study found. Researcher Brian Wansink said one study looked at moviegoers eating popcorn from either extra large or large containers.

Cut down: Using smaller plates could help you lose as much as 2lb per month says a new study

They ate 45 per cent more popcorn from the larger containers, and even when given stale popcorn ate 34 per cent more. Another study found that children given a 16-ounce cereal bowl were more likely to have a second helping than those given a bowl half the size. Dr Wansink told an American Psychological Association convention that in one study, people lost up to 2lb a month simply by making changes such as using salad plates rather than dinner plates, keeping unhealthy foods out of sight and not eating in front of the television.

'They just don't realize they're doing it,' said Dr Wansink. 'Our homes are filled with hidden eating traps. Most of us have too much chaos going on in our lives to consciously focus on every bite we eat, and then ask ourselves if we're full.

'The secret is to change your environment so it works for you rather than against you. These simple strategies are far more likely to succeed than willpower alone. It's easier to change your environment than to change your mind. People don't think that something as simple as the size of a bowl would influence how much an informed person eats.'

Dr Wansink, of America's Cornell university, said that people had the mistaken belief that their stomach would let them know when it was full. But in one experiment, diners giving a 'bottomless bowl' which automatically refilled with soup, ate 73 per cent more than those given normal bowls - and didn't even realise it. Dr Wansink said: 'The lesson is, don't rely on your stomach to tell you when you're full. It can lie.