Hi -
I was reading an article in the New York Times about Peter Walsh, a professional organiser who found a direct link between clutter-filled homes and people with weight problems. In other words, the more cluttered a home, the more likely it is for the home owner to have weight issues. He figured this out when many people who read his book and decluttered their homes, told him they ended up also losing weight.
He sees the link as a tendency to over-comsume in general. People who are pack rats, who buy things they don't need because they are on sale or might come in handy 'some day' tend to act the same way about their bodies - over comsumption of food and an inability to say no, or recognize when their home - or body - has had enough.
The kitchen is the rooms to concentrate on, getting rid of old appliances and useless contraptions that no-one needs anymore. He advises to "trim the fat from the kitchen".
“Be ruthless,'’ he advises. “Stripping away the excess ‘fat’ from your kitchen is as important as the weight you wish to strip away from your hips.'’
Anyway, I think this link between clutter and weight managment is really interesting and very believable.
Peter Walsh's book is called "Does this Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" (yes, it's really called that!) and here is a link to the New York Times article.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/putting-your-kitchen-on-a-diet/...