Fat-Proof Your World

13 clever ways to put your environment on a diet and slim down for good

- Mary Brophy Marcus

Dr Sandra Hassink has been studying childhood obesity for more than 30 years. And the most important thing she’s learned – applicable to kids and grown men alike – is this: “All the willpower in the world,” she says, “can’t overcome an obesogenic environment.” In other words, to lose weight and keep it off, you have to adjust your world so it’s not constantly tempting you. Instead of putting yourself on a diet, put your environment on one. “You can’t make good health decisions if your environment is always working against you, because then you have to be on alert 24-7,” says Hassink, founder of the Nemours Weight Management Clinic. “You get tired. Things come up.” Let’s start fat proofing your world.

1 Do a Sunday evening junk-food dump.

Like lint on a black sweater, unhealthy foods can accumulate in your home without you realising it. Cake from the school bake sale, caramel popcorn from movie night. And before you know it, you’re shovelling it into your mouth. Start the workweek fresh by taking a few minutes to rid your kitchen of crap and shake the airline nuts out of your briefcase. “It’s amazing how much food can creep in,” Hassink says. If you don’t have the heart to toss Mum’s signature dish, just divide it into smaller portions to freeze and reheat later. And don’t get doggie bags at restaurants anymore – unless they’re actually for your dog.

2 Trim down your social media “feed.”