Effect snapshot
Intervention Pre-portion lunches into containers on Sunday vs eating ad hoc servings
Outcome Average daily calorie intake
Effect 8–15 percent relative decrease
Confidence study
Context Office workers meal-prepping, 4-week interventions, 2020–2025

Sources

What changes

Pre-portioned meal prep is often associated with an 8–15% relative reduction in average daily calories in short interventions.

When this tends to work

  • Conditions similar to: Office workers meal-prepping, 4-week interventions, 2020–2025
  • You can measure Average daily calorie intake reliably
  • The intervention is implemented consistently, not half-measured

When to be careful

  • Your audience or product differs materially from the cited context
  • Compliance costs or second-order effects outweigh the lift
  • Evidence label is study—treat wide ranges as planning bands, not promises

Practical takeaway

Use the cited range for prioritization and test design. Verify against your own data before scaling.