20 Super Easy Tricks for Eating Less

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional and this is not intended as medical advice. If you have health problems, consult with your doctor before changing your diet in any way.

I got this tip from a Reader’s Digest book and it works. I use it a few times throughout the day (technically you should do it for the health of your teeth anyway).

Besides his many health benefits, ginger is also an appetite suppressant. It also gives you energy, so remember this easy trick to help you last longer between meals as you enjoy several cups of tea. I tried it and it’s very effective, and ginger is wonderful with masala chai or with milky black tea.

Often chocolate cravings are our body’s way to tell us that we need more magnesium. I deal with this situation either with a magnesium tablet or by preparing a salad rich in Mg. That usually means for me a veggie or fruit salad with walnuts or almond slivers. Apparently almonds are an appetite suppressant too. Edit: It's advisable, however, to limit your intake of almonds, as they contain a small amount of cyanide, which can lead to poisoning (but it would take a whole lot of almonds to pose a serious danger to your health). They also contain vitamin E and manganese, both of which you need in your diet at the right amounts. Too much manganese, however, interferes with certain drugs, so be careful with your almonds for this reason as well. You don't want to eat too many almonds anyway if you want to eat less and lose weight, because they're quite high in calories.

Many people don’t like the taste of avocados, but if you use them with lime juice in a salad, you barely taste them. Avocados help increase your HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce your triglycerides. They also make for very satisfying meals. This morning my breakfast consisted of one avocado, (the juice of) one lime, one tomato, and three cloves of garlic.

I have an easy dish I like to make: baked broccoli with Cheddar cheese, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper reduces the appetite and helps you burn more calories.

Having soup for lunch or dinner is a great way to lose weight easily. You can make creamy soups or broths. See below for two easy recipes.

Green tea has many health benefits, one of which is that it stabilizes your blood sugar after a meal rich in carbs. So if you eat an oatmeal and cranberries breakfast, for instance, have some green tea with it and later in the morning. If you don’t like the taste so much or prefer other teas, you can easily take green tea supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids raise your leptin levels. What does this mean? It means that if you eat salmon or tuna, you will need less food to keep hunger at bay. Try baked salmon with a side of spinach, for instance. Spinach also helps you feel full longer.

I have two teaspoons of flax seeds every time I eat oatmeal. They contain omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber, and are easy to add to oatmeal. 

Salads are a fun way for you to eat your veggies and fruit. They can be rich in calories, with cheese and tuna, for instance, or light, with lettuce, tomatoes, and other veggies. 

You’ve probably heard about mindfulness techniques were you look at a raisin and then focus on its taste and texture as you chew it. You can do the same thing with all your meals.

By taking smaller bites we savor our meals more. Also, if we focus on the taste and texture of the food, we may find that the novelty and our interest in that food may wear off sooner, which means we may find it easier to eat less.

Most of us probably eat the same staple meals as we don’t have much time to experiment. Well, if you do take the time you’ll notice it’s much easier to be mindful of your meals. To give you one example, yesterday, after reading a review of a fruit salad, I was inspired by three different recipes to make a salad (pictured above) with a fig, 50 grams of salmon, half a melon, nuts, yogurt, and honey. It was delicious. 

It’s not that hard to keep a food diary, and it serves more purposes than just counting calories. Calories are not so important; what matters is the kind of foods you eat. A food journal shows you if you’re indulging your guilty pleasures too often, or if you fail to diversify your food intake.

Make sure you don’t have less-than-healthy snacks within easy reach. To me that means buying myself only a sweet snack for home at any one time.

When you shop, try to do it with healthy recipes in mind. It can also save you a lot of money.

If you’re not hungry in the morning, try eating your last meal earlier in the evening. You may find that this small change will help your weight loss.

If you run out of food in your fridge on some days, consider having one egg or two for breakfast and oatmeal for dinner. It’s certainly better than ordering pizza, and apparently also better than having oatmeal for breakfast and fatty foods for dinner. Studies have shown that an egg or two for breakfast instead of carbs like bagels can help you eat a couple hundred calories less a day.

Twenty-five minutes on a stationary bike when you’re almost hungry will make you forget about food for quite a while after. If you still feel like eating, try to wait an hour before you do eat.

Long walks are also very helpful, but they’re not as easy to integrate into a busy schedule.

For more on how to lose weight while staying healthy, see some of my other articles: