Making food harder to get to often results in big calories savings. Research shows even the smallest tweaks to your environment can make a difference.
If there's one thing food researchers have taught us, it's that making food harder to get to—sitting farther away from the all-you-can-eat buffet, for example—often results in big calorie savings.
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Swiss researchers have found more evidence that even small obstacles can lead you to eat less. Women were given a chance to help themselves to chocolate; when the candy was unwrapped, the women polished off 5.3 pieces on average, but when it was wrapped, they averaged 3.6 pieces. "Just the extra effort of having to remove a wrapper may have prevented the women from eating more," notes Kelly Pritchett, PhD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Make munching more of a hassle—store your favorite chips or cookies on a high shelf, or snack on nuts that you have to shell. (Bonus: The empty shells will serve as a visual reminder of how much you've eaten.)
