How to Eat 10% Less The Easy Way

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Want to get skinnier by the forkful? Looking for an easy way to cut your food consumption by 10%? Trying to lose some weight before your wedding? We've all heard the tip to eat from a smaller plate, which would seem to be a valid option (and easy to do, which is half the battle for me when I diet). But new research shows that if you eat with a BIGGER fork you eat less. A recent study by researchers, reported in iVillage says researchers at the University of Utah studied subjects eating at an Italian restaurant and found a correlation between fork size and feeling full. It showed that those eating with a larger fork, one that could hold 20% more food than a regular fork, (at an Italian restaurant) ate approximately 10% less than those using a regular fork. 

My question about this is if you use a regular dinner fork instead of a salad fork does the same effect occur? I'm all for easy weight loss tricks but I really don't want to have to go out and buy new forks just to find a company with a bigger fork! Also will this work when you eat at a French restaurant? A Chinese restaurant? Or even in your own home? Or is it the twirling of noodles around a bigger fork that that is the real cause?

The researchers in this study said they believe that eating with a smaller fork makes us feel we aren't making as much headway on consuming the food on our plates so we take more forkfuls to satisfy our hunger. It seems this ONLY works when you are eating larger portions, so if you're doing the small plate trick it isn't effective. Fork size only effects consumption on larger entrees. So if you're a 'supersize it' eater this trick may be for you. No matter what, this seems like it's worth a try. What's the worst thing that can happen? Right, it doesn't work. It's not like I haven't been on diets that didn't work before!

But best of all, skip the tricks and simply stop eating when you're satisfied, don't wait until you are stuffed. (And you won't need special plates or special forks!) Stuffing after all is for turkeys (are you a turkey? Let's hope not!)

Read more weight loss tricks from Jessica Smith for iVillage in her article 52 Little Changes For Big Weight Loss Results. You are sure to find a few tricks that will work for you.