Want to lose 2lb a month? Simply eat from a smaller plate, researchers say.

想要在一个月之内减掉两磅体重么？研究者们表示，这其实很简单，只要在用餐时换一个小号的餐盘。

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.

一项研究表明，只要在我们吃饭时改编盛放食物器皿的大小，将会带来不小的改变。

Researcher Brian Wansink said one study looked at moviegoers eating popcorn¹ from either extra large or large containers.

研究者人员Brian Wansink，有一项报告作了个试验，研究了电影迷们看电影时盛放爆米花所使用大号或者超大号的容器会带来的后果。

They ate 45 per cent more popcorn from the larger containers, and even when given stale popcorn ate 34 per cent more.

结果，即便是在大号容器多得到34%的爆米花的前提下，超大号的人还是多吃掉了45%的爆米花。

Another study found that children given a 16-ounce cereal bowl were more likely to have a second helping² than those given a bowl half the size.

另一项研究发现，使用16盎司容量的碗吃麦片的儿童，要比使用容量只用一半的儿童更有可能吃上第二碗。

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.

美国心理协会的Wansink指出，在一项研究中，人们在一个月的时间里轻轻松松的减掉了两磅的体重，他们所作的便是将用餐时的餐盘换成了更小的沙拉盘，同时拒绝不健康的食物，并且不会一边看电视一边吃饭。

"They just don't realize they're doing it,Our homes are filled with hidden eating traps.Most of us have too much chaos³ 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." said Dr Wansink.

Wansink教授说：“他们并没有意识到自己在这么做。我们的家中处处潜伏着各种饮食‘陷阱’。我们中的绝大多数人每天都被生活中的琐事所困扰，以至于很难专注于每一口吃下的食物，也不会问自己是否已经吃饱了。这个秘密便是改变你的环境，而不是使之与你违背冲突。这些简单的叫侧率远比单靠意志力更容易获得成功。改变你周遭的环境可要比改变你心智来得容易得多。人们不会认为只需要简单的改变一下进食时盛放食物的容器的大小便能影响到所吃掉的食物的量。”

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.

美国康奈尔大学的Wansink教授说，因为误以为会从胃部获得是否吃饱了的信号。

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.

不过在一项实验中，使用“不见底”的碗喝汤的人在且安全没有意识到的情况下，会比使用正常大小碗的人多喝掉近73的汤。

Dr Wansink said: "The lesson is, don't rely on your stomach to tell you when you're full.It can lie."

Wansink说：“关键是，不要相信你的胃告诉你是否吃饱了。它可是会骗人的。”