11 easy tips on how to eat less?

If you have stumbled upon this page, you would certainly be trying to lose your weight. And, if that’s the case, one thing that you may have known by researching various weight loss tips is to eat less. Yes, eating less is the most prominent method to lose those extra pounds. But, eating less may not seem as simple as it sounds. Just following your healthy diet and keeping your mind away from all the delicious temptations might require a level of self control. But, don’t worry as we have got you covered. Eating less can be the first step towards your overall health and you can modify your daily actions to avoid any unhealthy food habit so that you take control of your diet. These are the 11 worthy strategies that you can use to reduce your portion size, eat less and this with not feeling hungry :-
Include plant based protein in your meal

Not just helping in developing healthy muscles, proteins are very helpful in making you feel fuller than fats or carbohydrates. Including plant based protein food items in your every meal or snack can help you feel fuller longer. Plant based protein items also have fiber in them which is not found in animal proteins. You can add nuts and beans into your salad or pair the crackers with some hummus. Animal based proteins can also be used in many ways. Include Greek yogurt in your smoothies, add poached eggs into the vegetable soup or add hard boiled eggs with the vegetable salad.
Eat using smaller cutlery

One physiological trick that can actually be used to drink less is to use small sized cutlery. The size of the plate and the fork you use while eating can literally affect your hunger. According to researches, people tend to fill 70% of the plate regardless of its size. You can use this truck in your favour. Using a smaller plate will give you the illusion of eating bigger portions and you’re more likely to eat less. The same trick goes with spoon and fork. Apart from this, color of your plate can also affect your hunger. A plain white colored plate can increase your hunger while a patterned blue color plate will trigger your brain to eat less.
Set calorie limit for meals

People who set calorie limit per meal rather than the calorie limit for a whole day are likely to eat 219 calories less than those who set limit for the whole day, as per a research by University of Singapore and University of Michigan. People who set daily calorie limit often ignores important day meals like snack or dinner because they have over-consumed the previous meal. You can go more advanced to set the limit of various nutrients like protein, vitamin, fats and fiber in your meal to ensure that you’re getting the necessary nutrients you need while maintaining proper food intake.
Analyze your eating habits

Sometimes, the food we take is not because of the hunger we have. Craving can also be the result of your feelings of anxiety, discomfort, boredom or happiness. All these emotions can make you crave for some snacks. This meal is not associated with your hunger. You should take time to study your eating habits to reduce snack intake. Whenever you find that you need to eat snacks, take a 20 minute hold time when you can assess your hunger cues. You will be able to find out if you want to eat because you’re hungry or it’s just because of some emotion you’re feeling.
Drink enough water

Our brain can’t work well to find the difference between hunger or thirst. This makes us eat an extra meal when our body needs just water. You should drink enough water to stay hydrated throughout the day to avoid such confusion. Apart from that, drinking water right before meal can make you reduce hunger. Replacing high calorie juices that don’t make you full with zero calorie water can really help you eat less food. Your stomach gets full easily and you will be able to reduce the total calorie count of the meal without feeling hungry.
Add pepper to your meals

One spicy way to make you eat less snacks is to add pepper to your meal. Adding spices to your meals will actually make you eat less. Capsaicin, a compound which is present in hot peppers has the ability to reduce your appetite. There are researches proving that adding pepper to your snacks can reduce the intake by 190 calories. One another such way to eat less is to add ginger into your meal. Drinking a cup of ginger tea before taking a meal can literally help you reduce your hunger.
Start your meal with a vegetable soup or salad

You can actually reduce your food intake by eating more food items. Starting your meal with a bowl of vegetable soup or salad can have amazing effect in reducing your appetite. You will also be able to reduce your overall calorie intake. These starter meals have a large amount of water along with rich fiber present in vegetables and a low amount of calories. Eating salad or vegetable soup before meal increases your vegetable intake by 23% and reduces energy intake by 11% as proven by studies. But, don’t overdo it. A simple salad with low calorie veggies and minimal dressing is what you should by sticking to.
Listen yourself chewing

One interesting trick you can follow to eat less is to listen yourself while eating food. Researches have proven that people who listen the sound of the chewing food naturally eat less. A study on two group one who wore headphones and other were not found that the group who eat food while wearing headphones ate more than the other group. That is the reason why you should avoid any distraction while eating. Watching television or listening to music while eating can make you eat more as you’re not able to listen yourself chewing.
Eat more soluble fibers

Soluble fibers have the ability to slow down your digestion as they produce a thick gel making us not feel hungry. That’s the reason why you should include fiber rich food items in your diet if trying to eat less and not be hungry. Food items such as oat meal, pear, beans, chia seeds, flax seeds and apple are rich in fiber and can make your tummy feel fuller. You can add beans to salad, chia seeds to smoothies and yogurt, diced apples to a bowl of oatmeal or just eat a fruit to make your stomach feel full.
Try eating with the wrong hand

There’s an opposite relation between the amount of time we take to have a meal and the amount of food we intake. The less time you take to eat food, the more are the chances to eat more. One trick that can help you eat less is to slow down your eating. Our brain takes around 20 minutes after eating that the stomach is full. So, eating slow can be really helpful and one way to eat slow is to make use of your wrong hand. Using wrong hand while eating can reduce food intake by 30%. You can also try to use chopsticks (as far as you’re not an expert in using it).
Play with your snacks

The time between the important meals of the day can make you feel hungry and it’s general to crave for some evening snacks. But this craving can destroy your whole diet. So, why not to play with your snacks? Drinking water or just chewing a gum can make your hunger go away and help you avoid any calorie rich snacking. Apart from that, eating a fruit or vegetable as a snack, or a protein rich protein bar can help your appetite go away.
Eating less can be a big step towards an healthy lifestyle especially when trying to lose weight. The target that you set for yourself in losing weight will be easily met by eating less. These are the 11 best methods and tricks that you can easily implement in your daily actions. You will be able to eat less and that without feeling any need to eat more. Remember building a new habit takes time and when trying to eat less, it can normally take 20 to 90 days. But, when you follow the above tips with dedication along with a healthy diet and proper exercise you will be able to get down to the weight of your desire.