It might be challenging to follow a traditional diet and exercise routine. There are, however, a number of tried-and-true strategies that may make eating fewer calories simple.
These are practical strategies for both weight loss and weight loss prevention. Here are 12 methods for shedding pounds without dieting or exercise. They are all supported by science.
1. Chew Slowly and Thoroughly
You need some time for your brain to register that you’ve eaten enough. When you chew your food completely, you eat more slowly, which is linked to lower calorie intake, greater feelings of fullness, and smaller serving sizes.
Your weight may also be impacted by how soon you complete your meals. Faster eaters are more likely to gain weight than slower eaters, according to a new evaluation of 23 observational studies.
Fast eaters have a substantially higher likelihood of being overweight. It could be beneficial to keep track of how many times you chew each meal to develop the habit of eating more slowly.
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2. Serve Unhealthy Foods on Smaller Plates
Nowadays, the average dinner dish is bigger than it was a few decades ago. Due to the fact that using a smaller plate may encourage you to eat less by making servings appear larger, this trend may result in weight gain.
In contrast, a larger dish may make a portion appear smaller, leading you to eat more.
Serve healthier foods on larger plates and less nutritious foods on smaller dishes to take advantage of this.
3. Eat Plenty of Protein
Appetite is significantly influenced by protein. It can help you feel more satisfied after eating, decrease your appetite, and consume fewer calories. This could be a result of protein’s impact on ghrelin and GLP-1, two hormones involved in appetite and fullness.
One research indicated that without purposefully limiting any meals, participants who increased their protein consumption from 15% to 30% of calories consumed 441 fewer calories per day on average and lost 11 pounds over the course of 12 weeks.
If you usually have a grain-based breakfast, you might want to think about moving to an egg-based meal instead. In one research, women who ate eggs for breakfast consumed fewer calories at lunch than those who ate a meal consisting of grains.
Additionally, they consumed fewer calories for the rest of the day and for the next 36 hours. Fish, Greek yogurt, lentils, quinoa, almonds, and chicken breasts are a few examples of foods high in protein.
4. Store Unhealthy Foods Out Of Sight
Storing unhealthy meals in plain sight might make you feel more hungry and tempted to eat more. This is related to gaining weight as well. According to a new study, those who have more high-calorie meals visible in their homes are more likely to weigh more than those who merely keep a bowl of fruit out in the open.
To reduce the likelihood that you will choose unhealthy meals when you are hungry, keep unhealthy items out of sight, such as in cabinets or closets. Contrarily, keep healthful items on display in your kitchen and put them on the fridge’s front row.
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5. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods
Consuming meals high in fiber may lengthen your feeling of fullness by increasing satiety. Additionally, studies show that viscous fiber is particularly beneficial for weight reduction. It enhances feeling full and lowers calorie consumption.
When a viscous fiber and water combine, a gel is created. This gel prolongs the period during which nutrients are absorbed and delays stomach emptying.
Only meals made from plants have viscous fiber. Beans, oat cereals, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, oranges, and flax seeds are a few examples. Viscous fiber is also abundant in glucomannan, a weight-reduction supplement.
6. Drink Water Regularly
Water consumption can aid in weight loss, particularly if it is done before meals. Drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water around 30 minutes before meals was proven to decrease appetite and lower calorie consumption in adult research.
Over a 12-week period, those who drank water before a meal lost 44% more weight than those who did not. You could see even more of an impact if you substitute water for calorie-dense beverages like soda or juice.
7. Serve Yourself Smaller Portions
Over the past few decades, portion sizes have expanded, particularly in restaurants. Larger serving sizes have been associated with an increase in weight gain and obesity because they encourage people to consume more.
According to one research of individuals, increasing the size of a dinner starter resulted in a 30% increase in caloric consumption. If you serve yourself a bit less, you could consume a lot fewer calories. And it’s doubtful that you’ll even notice the distinction.
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8. Eat Without Electronic Distractions
You may be able to eat fewer calories if you pay attention to what you eat. Eating while watching TV or playing video games might cause people to lose track of how much they have consumed. In turn, this may lead to overeating.
People who were distracted at a meal ate roughly 10% more during that session, according to a study of 24 research. Additionally, being distracted during a meal has a far bigger impact on how much you consume later in the day.
At subsequent meals, people who were preoccupied with a meal consumed 25% more calories than those who were not.
You may unintentionally be eating more if you frequently eat while watching TV or using electronics. These additional calories build up and have a significant long-term influence on your weight.
9. Sleep Well and Avoid Stress
Stress and sleep are frequently neglected when it comes to health. In actuality, both have significant impacts on your hunger and weight. Leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that control hunger, may be thrown off by sleep deprivation. When you’re under stress, the hormone cortisol also rises.
Your appetite and desire for unhealthy foods may rise as a result of these hormone fluctuations, increasing your calorie consumption. Chronic sleep deprivation and stress may also raise your chance of developing a number of illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.
10. Eliminate Sugary Drinks
The worst dietary component in use today may very well be added sugar. Sodas and other sweetened drinks have been linked to a higher risk of several illnesses. Because liquid calories don’t affect feeling full the same way that calories from solid meals do, it’s incredibly simple to ingest too many calories from sugary drinks.
Complete abstinence from these drinks can have significant long-term health advantages. But keep in mind that fruit juice might have a similar sugar content to soda, so you shouldn’t substitute it for soda. Water, coffee, and green tea are better choices for a beverage.
Read More: From Heavyweight to Healthy: The Incredible Transformation of Al Sharpton’s Weight Loss Journey
11. Serve Unhealthy Food on Red Plates
Utilizing red plates to encourage you to eat less is one outlandish tactic. According to research, this method at least appears to be effective with harmful snack items. According to one study, volunteers consumed fewer pretzels from plates that were red than those that were white or blue.
The reason might be that we relate red to warning signs created by humans, such as stop signs and other warning signals.
12. Skip the Bacon
