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11 Proven Weight Loss Methods That Do Not Involve Diet or Exercise

Easy for everyone

By ken kennyPublished 4 years ago 6 min read

It can be challenging to stick to a traditional diet and exercise routine. There are, however, a few tried-and-true strategies that can help you eat less calories with ease. These are helpful methods for losing weight and preventing weight gain in the future. Here are 11 non-diet, non-exercise strategies to reduce weight. They're all based on scientific evidence.

1. Chew slowly and thoroughly.

It takes time for your brain to register that you've had enough to eat. Chewing your food fully slows down your eating, which is linked to lower food intake, enhanced fullness, and smaller portion sizes (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source). Your weight may be affected by how soon you finish your meals. Faster eaters are more likely to gain weight than slower eaters, according to a recent evaluation of 23 observational studies (4Trusted Source). Obesity is far more common among fast eaters. Counting how many times you chew each bite can help you get into the habit of eating more slowly.

2. Serve unhealthy foods on smaller plates.

The average dinner dish is now larger than it was a few decades ago. This trend may lead to weight gain because using a smaller plate makes amounts appear larger, which may encourage you to eat less. A larger plate, on the other hand, can make a dish appear smaller, encouraging you to pile on more food (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source). Serve healthy foods on larger plates and less healthy foods on smaller dishes to take advantage of this.

3. Consume a lot of protein

Protein has a significant impact on appetite. It can help you eat less calories by increasing sensations of fullness, decreasing appetite, and increasing feelings of fullness. (7Reliable Source). This could be due to the fact that protein influences numerous hormones involved in hunger and fullness, including ghrelin and GLP-1 (8Trusted Source). According to one study, boosting protein intake from 15% to 30% of calories helped individuals consume 441 fewer calories each day and lose 11 pounds on average over the course of 12 weeks without reducing their diet (9Trusted Source). If you currently eat a grain-based breakfast, you should think about moving to a protein-rich meal like eggs.In one study, overweight or obese women who had eggs for breakfast ate fewer calories at lunch compared to those who ate a grain-based breakfast ().What’s more, they ended up eating fewer calories for the rest of the day and during the next 36 hours.Some examples of protein-rich foods include chicken breasts, fish, Greek yogurt, lentils, quinoa and almonds.

4. Keep unhealthy foods hidden from view.

Keeping unhealthy foods in plain sight can boost hunger and cravings, leading to overeating (11Trusted Source). This is also linked to gaining weight (12Trusted Source). According to a recent study, individuals who have high-calorie items accessible in the house are more likely to gain weight than those who keep merely a bowl of fruit visible (12Trusted Source). Healthy meals should be stored out of sight, such as in closets or cupboards, so they don't grab your attention when you're hungry. Healthy items, on the other hand, should be visible on your surfaces and placed front and center in your refrigerator.

5. Consume Fiber-Dense Foods

Fiber-rich foods may help you feel fuller for longer by increasing satiety. According to research, one form of fiber, viscous fiber, is very beneficial for weight loss. It makes you feel fuller for longer and helps you eat less (13Trusted Source). When viscous fiber comes into touch with water, it produces a gel. This gel extends the time it takes for nutrients to be absorbed and slows the emptying of your stomach (14Trusted Source). Only plant foods have viscous fiber. Beans, oat cereals, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, oranges, and flax seeds are just a few examples. Glucomannan, a weight-loss supplement, is likewise high in viscous fiber.

6. Consistently consume water

Water, especially if consumed before a meal, can help you eat less and lose weight. Drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water 30 minutes before meals lowered appetite and calorie intake in adults, according to one study (15Trusted Source). Over the course of a 12-week period, those who drank water before a meal lost 44 percent more weight than those who did not. If you replace calorie-dense drinks like soda or juice with water, you may see much more of a difference (16Trusted Source).

7. Take Care of Yourself Portions that are smaller

Portion sizes have risen in recent decades, particularly in restaurants. Larger servings encourage people to eat more, which has been related to a rise in obesity and weight gain (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source). In one adult study, doubling the size of a dinner starter resulted in a 30 percent increase in calorie intake (21Trusted Source). You might be able to consume much fewer calories if you serve yourself a bit less. And you're unlikely to notice the difference.

8. No Electronic Distractions While Eating

Paying attention to what you eat may aid in calorie reduction. People who eat while watching television or playing video games may lose track of how much they've consumed. Overeating can result as a result of this. People who were distracted at a meal ate around 10% more in that sitting, according to a study of 24 studies (22Trusted Source). Furthermore, being distracted during a meal has a higher impact on your food consumption later in the day. People who were distracted during a meal consumed 25% more calories at subsequent meals than those who were not (22Trusted Source). You may be unwittingly overeating if you eat your meals while watching TV or using technological devices. These extra calories mount up over time and have a significant impact on your weight.

9. Get a Good Night's Sleep and Stay Stress-Free

People frequently overlook sleep and stress when it comes to their health. Both have a significant impact on your appetite and weight. The appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin may be disrupted by a lack of sleep. When you're stressed, another hormone, cortisol, rises (23Trusted Source). These hormones fluctuating might boost your appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods, resulting to a rise in calorie consumption (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source). Furthermore, persistent sleep deprivation and stress have been linked to an increased risk of a variety of disorders, including type 2 diabetes and obesity (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).

10. Don't Drink Sugary Drinks

Added sugar may be the single most harmful element in today's diet. Sugary beverages, such as soda, have been linked to an elevated risk of a variety of ailments (29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source). Because liquid calories do not effect fullness the way solid food does, it's quite easy to ingest too many calories from sugary drinks (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source). Avoiding these beverages totally can have significant long-term health benefits. However, fruit juice should not be substituted for soda because it can have just as much sugar (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source). Water, coffee, and green tea are all healthy beverages to drink instead.

11. Serve Unhealthy Food on Red Plates

One unusual strategy is to use red plates to help you eat less. Research indicates that this technique at least seems to work with unhealthy snack foods.One study reported that volunteers ate fewer pretzels from red plates than from white or blue plates ().The explanation may be that we associate the color red with stop signals and other man-made warnings.

By Gabin Vallet on Unsplash

Final Thoughts

You can reduce weight by adopting a variety of basic lifestyle practices. Some of them have nothing to do with traditional diets or workout routines. You can eat more slowly, drink more water, and avoid eating in front of the TV or computer by using smaller dishes. Prioritizing protein- and viscous-fiber-rich diets may also assist. However, it's probably not a good idea to try all of these things at the same time. Try one technique for a while, and if it works well for you, move on to the next. A few small modifications can have a significant long-term impact on your weight.

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