Habits
Plate it, don't graze from the packet
The single most reliable environment change: portion out, then put the packet away.
What it’s worth
150 to 230 calories a day across the day
Do this
- →Decant into a bowl and return the packet to the cupboard before you start.
- →Buy the smaller pack where the price difference is tolerable.
- →This applies to the good stuff too — nuts and olive oil are dense.
Why it works
Portion size drives intake far more powerfully than intention does. Eating from a container gives you no natural stopping point, so the decision to stop has to be made actively, repeatedly, against a moving target.
The evidence
A Cochrane review of portion and package size found a consistent moderate effect, in the region of 150 to 230 calories a day. This is the third of the three tactics with genuinely causal weight evidence.
The honest bit
Smaller plate diameter on its own is a different claim, and it failed a pre-registered replication. The effect here comes from how much you serve, not from the crockery.
Knowing it isn’t the hard part
You’ve just read the tactic. The difficult bit is the Tuesday in six weeks when you’re tired and it’s raining. Milo is a coach you text like a friend: it knows which of these you’re working on, notices when it slips, and brings it up once rather than nagging.
See how Milo worksTry next
- Decide the swap before you're in the moment — Deciding once beats deciding nightly on willpower.
- Eat without a screen, remember the meal — Distracted eating shows up later as more snacking, not less.
- Weigh yourself as data, not a verdict — Daily weighing helps, provided the number isn't allowed to mean anything about you.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18, talk to a healthcare professional before changing how you eat or train.