Bigger Forks may Promote Weight Loss

If you’re looking to lose weight fast in Lakeland, but you’re not seeing big improvements on the scale just yet, then you may need to think about changing the way you eat. Of course that sounds obvious, but according to a recent study, how you eat may have an impact on losing weight and keeping it off in addition to what you eat. There is evidence to suggest that people who use larger forks when they eat are more likely to eat less. Conversely, people who use smaller forks tend to eat more.

In a study entitled “The Influence of Bite Size on Quantity of Food Consumed: A Field Study,” researchers from the Journal of Consumer Research reported that the size of the forks used by diners significantly affected the amount of food they ate.

The study was conducted by swapping the forks at a restaurant for forks that were 20 percent larger and smaller than the regular silverware. Plates with food were than weighed before they were taken to the tables, and again after they were picked up. The results showed that there was more food left on the plates that went to tables with bigger forks than on the tables with smaller forks.

The conventional reasoning is that using a larger fork provides the diner with a clearer picture of the progress he’s making with regards to the portions on his plate, and as a result, he tends to eat less. Because there’s a lag between the sense of fullness and hunger, the visual cues are important for people to gauge how much they’ve eaten.

It’s important to note, though, that the study only showed a difference when large portions were consumed. There was no noticeable effect on the relationship between the size of the forks and the amount eaten when smaller portions were served.