27 absurdly easy weight loss tips

losing weight does not have to be impossible.

unfortunately, eating less food may cause difficulties and struggles.

to prevent these difficulties or problems, we share 27 easy weight loss tips that promote healthy changes and success.

avoid calorie loaded drinks

it is easy to forget that many drinks add to your diet’s calorie total.

linked to obesity, many sugary beverages, such as soda, have an excessively high amount of calories, according to the lancet and diabetes care.

loaded with 44 grams of sugar, just one half-liter of coke has almost 200 unnecessary calories (see self nutrition data).

not only do these sugary drinks have a large calorie count, but they are also associated with an increase in appetite, the appetite and the american journal of clinical nutrition state.

soda is not the only culprit, however. other seemingly healthy smoothies or juices often have lots of sugar and calories as well. try to avoid these drinks, and don’t forget that alcohol and coffee can also pack lots of calories. try green tea – it’s been shown to offer a wealth of health benefits.

water first

a great easy weight loss tip to reduce hunger before a meal is to drink smart water. this will help you consume fewer calories while feeling satisfied (see self.com, cbs news and research from obesity and nutrition reviews).

in fact, according to one study in the journal of the american dietetic association, having two cups of water prior to mealtime can lower your calorie consumption by about 13%.

additionally, water can be beneficial in weight-loss, according to a study in obesity.

get adequate rest

sleep is very important, and obesity is linked with inadequate sleep, writes prevention.com.

as a matter of fact, people who fail to get adequate sleep are often heavier than people who often get a good night’s rest (see reviews from obesity and plos medicine).

people who lack sleep are more prone to hunger and tend to consume more calories throughout the day, says one study in proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america.

be sure to establish a healthy sleep routine to maintain healthy weight and avoid high-calorie consumption with a balanced diet.

begin your meal with a low-calorie appetizer

according to eatingwell and appetite, eating a low-calorie appetizer can help you avoid overeating. salads and soups are an ideal choice.

in one study in appetite, it was found that having soup as a starter can bring down your calorie consumption by 20%.

double up on appetizers instead of eating a heavy meal

one of the leading causes of overeating is the extremely large portion sizes we’ve grown accustomed to, stated the american journal of clinical nutrition and obesity research.

if you find yourself eating at a restaurant that often serves large portions, you can enjoy the food without overeating by ordering two appetizers – one as a starter and one as your meal.

this easy weight loss tip allows you to avoid overeating without giving up the experience or foods you love.

avoid breads and high-calorie pre-dinner snacks

bread baskets and other pre-dinner snacks are both familiar and tempting at restaurants.

unfortunately, reaching for the bread basket brings in calories by the hundreds. when you add butter to the scenario, it only gets worse.

to avoid this temptation, ask your server to skip the bread basket, rather than bringing one to your table.

cut that restaurant meal in half

with generous servings and oversized portions at restaurants, eating out can cause you to consume way too many calories.

if you do go out to eat, you can request half of your meal to be boxed up before it gets to the table. this allows you to take the boxed half home for later.

another option is to share half of your meal with a friend at the table.

one of the characteristics common among those who have successfully lost weight, is they often only eat portions of their meal when eating out – whether they share or only order half portions, a review in preventing chronic disease says.

restaurants often serve huge portions that contain far more calories than you need in one sitting.

keep your portions reasonable

when there is a lot of food in front of you, you are more prone to eating more food than you need, obesity research and the conversation report.

for example, this is a very real problem at buffets, where you can be easily tempted into consuming much more food than your body needs.

to keep an eye on your portion sizes and prevent overeating, use smaller plates or measure your portions for every meal.

“dressing on the side, please”

even though salads are typically a healthier food choice, they can still have large amounts of “hidden” calories, u.s. news & world report writes.

these calories often come in the dressing, as it is commonly mixed into your salad when served – and often large amounts of the dressing are used.

to control the amount of dressing you eat with your otherwise healthy salad, order your salad with the dressing on the side.

there is no need for second helpings

it is easy to want more food when you have just eaten an appetizing meal.

when you go for seconds, however, it is easy to lose track of how much you’ve eaten, thus leading you to overeat.

an easy weight loss tip – don’t go for a second plate. just be sure to give yourself a decent portion of food the first time around.

go for skinless meats

if you want to cut calories, avoid eating the skin on your meats.

the skin often brings in extra and unnecessary calories. according to self nutrition data, a roasted chicken breast with skin, for example, has about 193 calories, while the same breast without the skin has 142 calories.

in other words, eating that skin would add about 50 calories.

don’t forget to add protein

protein is helpful with maintaining and losing weight.

this is because protein is a filling nutrient, and when you feel full, you are less likely to eat larger portions.

to curb your hunger and prevent overeating, you can add high-protein foods to almost every plate, says nutrition action.

distractions lead to overeating

your eating environment places a large impact on the amount of food you consume.

for example, studies have found that if you eat while distracted, you are more prone to overeating, the american journal of clinical nutrition and harvard health report.

in one finding in the british journal of nutrition, individuals who ate with distractions ended up eating 30% more than people focusing on the meal.

problematic distractions range from reading or watching television to sitting at the computer or using your smartphone.

reduce calories in your high-calorie meals

simple weight loss tips and tricks: tweak the components of your meal to reduce calories.

if you are having a burger, for instance, you can remove the bun to save yourself about 160 calories or more.

the same thing applies to sandwiches. taking just one bread slice off of your sandwich can save you upwards of 100 calories or more.

ditch the chips for healthy greens

many people enjoy eating chips with dip, but a healthy alternative you can go for is to replace your chips with hearty vegetables. this will help you avoid too many calories while adding more veggies to your diet.

whole fruits are extremely beneficial

packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, whole fruits offer your body many benefits.

while fruit juices are easy to binge on, whole fruits help you feel satisfied and therefore, prevent overeating, said webmd and appetite.

because whole fruits are healthier, more nutritious, and fill you up, you should always try to choose whole fruits instead of fruit juices.

use your non-dominant hand

one of the more interesting easy weight loss tips is to use your non-dominant hand to help you avoid overeating or eating too quickly.

by using the “wrong” hand you can slow down and consume less food.

eating slowly will help satisfy hunger

if you chew your food and eat slowly, you will feel full and satisfied quicker; thus minimizing your food intake (see webmd and studies from the british journal of nutrition and international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity).

if you are a person who typically eats quickly, you can try slowing down by counting how many times you chew or even laying your utensils down between bites.

opt for smaller dessert sizes

many snacks and sweets have a variety of sizes ranging from mini or kid’s sizes to full or larger sizes.

when you wish to indulge in something sweet, choose the smaller options available to satisfy your craving without packing in too many calories.

if you get a dessert while eating out, you can minimize the portion size by cutting it in half and sharing with a friend or saving the second half for later.

try to eliminate creamy sauces

creamy sauces are generally higher in calories.

when possible, go for tomato-based sauces. these tomato sauces are nutrient rich while remaining low in calories.

drink clear and light

it is common for people to be health conscious throughout the week but throw away all of their hard work on the weekends with heavy drinking.

while water is the best clear beverage, if you enjoy going out for drinks, choose neat or pick mixers with fewer calories, the medical daily advises. this will help you keep your calorie count under control.

eat on smaller plates for smaller portions

according to a study in critical reviews in food science and nutrition, the average dinner plate today is about 44% bigger than the typical dinner plate of the 1980’s.

large plates are linked to large food portioning. with these larger dinner plates, you are more prone to overeating (see eat out, eat well and research from the american journal of clinical nutrition, the journal of the american medical association and the american journal of preventive medicine).

furthermore, one particular case study in the journal of experimental psychology: applied discovered that individuals with bigger plates consumed 45% more than individuals with tinier plates.

to avoid overeating and consuming too many calories, simply use smaller plates for your meals.

go thin and green with pizza

pizza is both delicious and popular, but can have far too many calories.

when you eat pizza, one of the easy weight loss tips is to minimize your calorie intake by ordering healthy vegetable toppings and going for a thinner crust.

less sauce means less calories

you may not realize the amount of calories packed into your simple sauces. ketchup, ranch, and mayonnaise are traditional sauces that will add unnecessary calories to your meal.

for example, mayonnaise brings in more than 90 additional calories per tablespoon.

if you enjoy adding sauces and dressings to your meal, consider minimizing the amount you eat or eliminating it all together to decrease your calorie intake quickly.

go heavy on the veggies

the average person doesn’t get enough vegetables every day, healthday reports. you don’t have to be a vegetarian to pack your meals full of these healthy foods.

as a matter of fact, about 87% of americans aren’t getting adequate amounts of vegetables in their diets, according to morbidity and mortality weekly report.

to reduce your calorie intake and increase your vegetable consumption, you can load up half of your plate with veggies.

you can also swap out heavy sides, such as fries, and replace them with vegetables, cutting calories and increasing your vegetable consumption, says the american journal of clinical nutrition.

“having a varied diet comprised of vegetables, fruits and whole grains is essential to a healthy, happy lifestyle; eating seasonally is key to getting the most nutrition – and flavor – out of your meal.” says nutritionist katie kriner, from peach dish.

you be the chef

want easy weight loss tips at home? you aren’t always aware of what goes into your food when it’s prepared by outside sources, whether it’s at a restaurant or precooked from a store.

often, the meals that seem low in calories, or rather healthy in general, are high in calories with sneaky fats and sugars packed in.

preparing your own meals allows you to control what exactly goes into your foods, including the amount of calories, sfgate states.

“we believe that developing a network of parents dedicated to lunchbox menus is an effective way to boost creativity and motivation to make lunch packing a better experience for both parents and children.we propose to teach healthy eating habits to our kids, starting with creative and balanced school lunches.” states alexandra gabalda, co-founder at teuko .

throw out all junk food

if there is easy access to junk food, you are more likely to eat it.

with boredom and stress-induced eating, this can be even more problematic if you tend to eat at times you aren’t even hungry.

another easy weight loss tip is to avoid grabbing junk food or snacks by removing them from your home.

what users are saying

“even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total weight is perhaps getting to supply health benefits, like improvements in sign , blood cholesterol, and blood sugars. for example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 5 percent weight loss equals 10 pounds, bringing your burden to 190 pounds. while this weight should be within the “overweight” or “obese” range, this modest weight loss can decrease your risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity. so albeit the overall goal seems large, see it as a journey rather than just a final destination. you’ll learn new eating and physical activity habits which can assist you reside a healthier lifestyle. these habits may assist you maintain your weight loss over time.”

“currently on a diet where my net calories goal is 1700. sometimes i’m still hungry after that, sugar free gum and sunflower seeds(not just the kernels, the whole things) help me a lot. it keeps your mouth busy, and for the seeds at least, one serving is half the bag, and it’s only 190 calories. it takes about two hours of straight eating them for me to get through that serving.”

“90% of it is a mind game. eat what your body need, not what your mind craves.”

final word on easy weight loss tips

cutting calories and losing weight is often a difficult task, partially because it is easy to eat too many calories, unknowingly.

“write a diet and fitness diary. this is very important for you to be able to track your activities and it means you know exactly what you’ve eaten, so you can make changes accordingly. many people fail to lose the weight they want because they eat more than they think and move less.” states rick hay, nutritional director at healthista.

these easy weight loss tips make managing your calorie intake for healthy results that will last. you may just find you love your new menu packed with healthy food.

however, a comprehensive and personalized weight-loss plan may also work a bit better, especially if it’s backed by clinical research.

one of the best weight-loss apps we’ve found is noom. we love that this program offers its users customized meal plans, human coaching support, comprehensive food logging tools, and more. the app is also backed by multiple clinical studies, including ones published in jmir mhealth uhealth, obesity research & clinical practice, and the british medical journal. 

plus, noom is available as a free trial offer for all dietspotlight readers.