Cut calories without dieting

Gretchen Rubin, author of the soon to be “Happiness Project” gives her take on how to make small changes in your eating habits to cut calories and shed a few pounds. Think of the tips as an “undiet.” The following are a few of my favorites:

2. I put tempting food in an inconvenient spot. Research shows that people are far more likely to eat food if it’s easily accessible. In one study, a cafeteria with an ice-cream cooler opened its glass lid on some days, and left it closed on other days. Nothing else changed — but when the lid was already open, 30% of diners bought ice cream, and when it was closed, only 14% bought ice cream. And the only difference was whether they had to open the lid!

4. When I’m filling my plate, I put all the food I plan to eat on my plate at once, and I don’t allow myself seconds. This has made a huge difference in the way I eat. My previous habit was to take three lady-like helpings that probably added up to much more than one enormous serving.

Five tips for cutting calories without dieting—in fact, without really noticing - [The Happiness Project]