9 Surprising Ways Your Refrigerator Could Help You Lose Weight

By , Sarah Burns, Woman's Day
Scale stuck? Shifting the food around in your fridge can actually retrain your brain to lose weight: It may help you crave healthy food, instead of diet-sabotaging fare, explains Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions For Everyday Life. But that's not the only way your refrigerator can keep you slim. Here, fresh solutions to make slimming down almost effortless.
 

Top Shelf: Store Healthy Drinks Here

"You're three times more likely to take the first item you see out of the fridge than you are anything else," explains Dr. Wansink. His suggestion: Stock your top tier with low-cal beverages, like skim milk, fruit and veggie juices (no sugar added) and a water pitcher. You can also stash water bottles here to grab for easy on-the-go hydration. "Staying well-hydrated naturally curbs appetite," explains Susan Albers, PsyD, clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of the book, Eat Q: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence. "Also, opting for low-cal drinks shaves calories from your diet," she adds. Use these slimming sips to cut out just one can of soda (diet included!) a day, and you could speed up your slimdown, say researchers at The University of Texas. 
 

Top Shelf: Add Measuring Tools

Surprise! Food and drinks aren't the only items to store in your fridge if you want to lose or maintain your weight. Keeping a measuring cup and spoons in this prime real estate encourages you to measure things out before you chow down—and that controls your portion sizes. Indeed, Dr. Wansink’s soon-to-be-published study confirms that chopping and bagging food before eating decreases consumption by 71 percent. Bonus: Storing tools in this area means there's less space for waist-widening junk.
 
Click here for more ways your refrigerator will help you lose weight.  
 
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 What has helped you lose weight? Is your refrigerator organized? 

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