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Some practices like chewing slowly and eating more fiber may help you lose weight without exercise or a specific diet plan. Chewing your food thoroughly makes you eat more slowly , which is associated with decreased food intake, increased fullness, and smaller portion sizes 1 , 2.

To get into the habit of eating more slowly, it may help to count how many times you chew each bite. Eating your food slowly can help you feel more full with fewer calories. It is an easy way to lose weight and prevent weight gain.

This trend could contribute to weight gain, since using a smaller plate may help you eat less by making portions look larger.

On the other hand, a bigger plate can make a serving look smaller, causing you to add more food 4 , 5. You can use this to your advantage by serving nutrient-dense, lower calorie foods on bigger plates and high calorie foods on smaller plates.

Protein has powerful effects on appetite. It can increase feelings of fullness, reduce hunger, and help you eat fewer calories 6. This may be because protein affects several hormones that play a role in hunger and fullness, including ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1 6.

According to one study in people, those with greater adherence to a high protein diet lost significantly more weight than those who adhered to a standard protein diet 7.

If you currently eat a grain-based breakfast, you may want to consider increasing the protein content of your meals. In one study, people who ate a high protein breakfast with eggs and toast experienced less hunger and ate fewer calories later in the day compared to those who ate a lower protein breakfast with cereal 8.

Some examples of protein-rich foods include chicken breasts, fish, Greek yogurt, lentils, quinoa, and almonds. In fact, research suggests that people who prepare more meals at home tend to gain less weight than those who regularly dine out or eat prepared foods 9.

A study also found that meal planning may be associated with improved diet quality and a reduced risk of obesity Try stocking up on nutrient-dense ingredients and experimenting with a few new recipes each week. Eating fiber-rich foods may increase satiety, helping you feel fuller for longer.

Studies also indicate that one type of fiber , viscous fiber, is particularly helpful for weight loss. It increases fullness and reduces food intake 11 , Viscous fiber forms a gel when it comes in contact with water.

This gel increases nutrient absorption time and slows down the emptying of your stomach 11 , Viscous fiber is only found in plant foods. Examples include beans, oat cereals, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, oranges, and flax seeds. A weight loss supplement called glucomannan is also very high in viscous fiber Viscous fiber is particularly helpful in reducing appetite and food intake.

This fiber forms gel that slows down digestion. Drinking water can help you eat less and lose weight, especially if you drink it before a meal.

One study found that drinking water before a meal reduced the amount of food consumed, without significantly affecting satiety Another study showed that drinking 1 pint milliliters of water before a meal decreased calorie intake and hunger while also increasing fullness and satisfaction If you replace calorie-loaded drinks — such as soda or juice — with water, you may experience an even greater effect Drinking water before meals may help you eat fewer calories.

Replacing a sugary drink with water is particularly beneficial. Paying attention to what you eat may help you consume fewer calories. This, in turn, can cause overeating. Additionally, absent-mindedness during a meal has an even greater influence on your intake later in the day.

If you regularly consume meals while watching TV or using electronic devices, you could be inadvertently eating more. These extra calories add up and have a massive impact on your weight in the long term.

However, more research is needed, as studies have turned up mixed results on how mindful eating may affect food consumption 18 , 19 , People who eat while distracted are more likely to overeat. Paying attention to your meals may help you eat less and lose weight, but more research is needed.

When it comes to health, people often neglect sleep and stress. Both, in fact, have powerful effects on your appetite and weight. A lack of sleep may disrupt the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin.

Having these hormones fluctuate can increase your hunger and cravings, leading to higher calorie intake 22 , Poor sleep and excess stress may imbalance several important appetite-regulating hormones, causing you to eat more. High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages , such as soda, has been linked with a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes According to one meta-analysis, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with low calorie or no calorie sweetened beverages could be linked to reductions in body weight, BMI, and percent body fat Lower calorie beverage options include water and plain or lightly sweetened coffee or green tea.

Sugary drinks have been linked to an increased risk of weight gain and many health conditions. Many simple lifestyle habits can help you lose weight.

Some have nothing to do with conventional diet or exercise plans. For lunch, a turkey sandwich on wheat with vegetables and an olive oil and vinegar dressing. For dinner, a salmon steak on a bed of spinach.

Healthy snacks for weight loss include almonds or pistachios, string cheese with an apple, Greek yogurt or a banana with peanut butter. Before you begin your weight-loss journey, do some brainstorming about the kinds of healthy foods you enjoy so that you can have lots of choices as you plan your meals and snacks.

Such styles of eating tend to have a few things in common—they tend to be plant-based diets, they emphasize healthy fats, no simple sugars and low sodium, and they favor natural foods over the highly processed fare typical of much of the Western diet.

For example, the Mediterranean style diet gets its name from the foods available to various cultures located around the Mediterranean Sea. It heavily emphasizes minimally processed fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains.

It contains moderate amounts of yogurt, cheese, poultry and fish. Olive oil is its primary cooking fat. Red meat and foods with added sugars are only eaten sparingly. Besides being an effective weight loss method, eating a Mediterranean style diet is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression and some forms of cancer.

Experts developed the DASH diet Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension specifically as a heart-healthy regimen. The combination of food types contained in the diet seem to work together especially effectively to lower blood pressure and decrease risk of heart failure.

The key features of DASH are low cholesterol and saturated fats, lots of magnesium, calcium, fiber and potassium, and little to no red meat and sugar.

Unsurprisingly, that equates to a list of foods similar to those of the Mediterranean diet—whole grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, nuts and olive oil. As its name implies, the MIND diet Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay was designed by doctors to take elements from the Mediterranean and DASH diets that seemed to provide benefits to brain health and stave off dementia and cognitive decline.

In practice, it is very similar to both the Mediterranean and DASH diets, but it puts stronger emphasis on leafy green vegetables and berries, and less emphasis on fruit and dairy. In recent years, the Nordic diet has emerged as both a weight-loss and health-maintenance diet. Based on Scandinavian eating patterns, the Nordic diet is heavy on fish, apples, pears, whole grains such as rye and oats, and cold-climate vegetables including cabbage, carrots and cauliflower.

Studies have supported its use both in preventing stroke and in weight loss. What do all of these diets have in common? Eating for your health—especially your heart health—by adopting elements from these diets is a smart way to lose weight. But is fasting healthy, and does intermittent fasting work?

Fasting—abstaining from eating for some period of time—is an ancient practice that is safe when not taken to extremes. Traditionally, the benefits of fasting have been both spiritual and physical. People who fast for religious reasons often report a stronger focus on spiritual matters during the fast.

Physically, a simple fast lowers blood sugar, reduces inflammation, improves metabolism, clears out toxins from damaged cells and has been linked to lower risk of cancer, reduced pain from arthritis and enhanced brain function.

A common intermittent fasting schedule might restrict eating to the hours of a. to p. But there is no specific, prescribed schedule. Some people have more or less generous eating windows, setting the rule that they will not eat after, say, p. During a period without eating, insulin levels drop to the point that the body begins burning fat for fuel.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss. One possible reason for the success of intermittent fasting is that most practitioners have quit the habit of eating during the late evening and night hours.

There are certain people who should not try intermittent fasting without first checking with their doctor, such those with diabetes or heart disease. It sounds counterintuitive, but many people find success losing weight—especially initially—by eating more fat, not less.

The theory is that by eating so many healthy fats and restricting carbohydrates, you enter an altered metabolic state in which you force your body to begin relying on fat for energy, burning away your fat stores instead of sugar for fuel.

Research does show that keto is an effective way to jump-start weight loss and improve blood-sugar levels. However, it is hard to maintain, and to date we are lacking long-term studies that show it to be a sustainable eating pattern for keeping weight off. Because both weight loss and overall health are tied to some basic eating patterns, we have developed the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate as a model for meal planning and for your overall balanced diet.

Imagine a round dinner plate with a line running vertically down its center dividing it evenly in two. One half of the plate should be taken up by equal portions of whole grains not refined grains like white bread and white rice and healthy protein such as fish, nuts, beans and poultry—not red meat or processed meats.

Two-thirds of the other half should be filled with vegetables, with the remaining portion consisting of fruit. To the other side of the plate, imagine a vessel containing healthy oils such as canola or olive oil. Use it for cooking or at the table instead of butter.

Adhering to its guidelines will optimize your chances of remaining healthy and of maintaining a desirable body weight. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness , is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School.