If you want to lose weight [1], you need to be in a modest calorie deficit [2] — not a huge one, because you won't be able to sustain it. You can calculate your calorie deficit [3] by multiplying your bodyweight by 10 to 12. Your caloric intake should fall somewhere within these numbers. Another way to calculate your calorie deficit [4] is to figure out your TDEE (total energy expenditure, which is the number of calories your body burns each day) and subtract 500 calories.
Make sure you're always eating more than 1,200 calories each day [5], even more if you're working out regularly. Eating less will make you tired and increase cravings and hunger, which will only lead to overeating. Aside from just eating fewer calories, here are some easy ways you can stay in a caloric deficit without increasing hunger.
Volume Eat
Choose foods that are high in volume and low in calories. We're talking tons of veggies! Ilana Muhlstein [7], MS, RDN, co-creator of Beachbody's 2B Mindset [8] nutrition program, told POPSUGAR that vegetables are the food group [9] you want to be filling up on the most. "They are high in volume and weight and fill up our stomachs, which helps us register the feeling of fullness," Ilana said. Veggies aren't just for lunch or dinner! Eat veggies with every meal and snack.
Use Smaller Plates and Bowls
"If you have a hard time leaving food on your plate, like me, then I recommend you use smaller plates [10]," Illana shared. Go for side or salad plates, or you can even borrow your kid's smaller bowls and plates [11]. You can still fill up on food, but using the slightly smaller plate helps control your portions [12].
Measure Everything
A few handfuls of almonds here, a couple cubes of avocado on your salad there, eating the leftover toast your kid left at breakfast — it all adds up! In order to track your calorie intake accurately, measure everything you eat [13]. Track it in an app to keep you accountable. This goes for every single bite, taste, and lick!
Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting [14] is gaining popularity for helping with weight loss because it's easy and it works [15]. Basically, you choose a window of time to eat, and a window to not eat (fast). 16:8 [16] is a common method, where you eat from noon until 8 p.m. Since you're eating only a certain number of hours a day, it helps you cut down on daily calories, as long as you don't overeat during your eating window! [17]
Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep will increase cortisol, the stress hormone, which increases cravings and hunger [18]. That translates to eating more the next day, and it's usually not the healthiest foods. Plus, the low energy makes it harder for you to push yourself at the gym (or even motivate to go!). If you're trying to lose weight, aim for at least seven hours every night [19].
Keep Trigger Foods Out of Sight
Neuroscientist Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD, believes that the notion of "everything in moderation" is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Certain people are more susceptible to food addiction, so if this sounds like you, avoiding highly-addictive foods [20] like sugar and flour will actually eliminate your cravings [21] for them.
Out of sight, out of mind! If you know a pint of ice cream is in the freezer, it's much harder to say no. Same goes with other trigger foods, at home, at work, or when you're out and about. Avoid walking past the bakery near the office if you can't help yourself from grabbing a cupcake [22].
Drink Coffee
M Daniela Torchia [23], MPH, RD, PhD, pointed out that caffeine can indirectly help suppress appetite [24]. Instead of drinking it first thing in the morning, try waiting an hour or so until hunger kicks in. Then sip away on your mug and you'll find it can satiate your hunger for hours [25].
Get in Your Steps
While working out several times a week will burn calories and build calorie-burning muscle, don't discount the power of walking! Every 2,000 to 2,500 steps is about a mile. So getting in 10,000 steps [26] a day burns an extra 250 to 600 calories [27], depending on your weight.
Brush After Eating
If you tend to mindlessly snack or eat out of boredom, that can add up to hundreds of daily calories. Try brushing your teeth after meals and snacks — yes, bring a toothbrush to work — and your minty breath will remind you that you just ate. You can even do this two-minute tooth-brushing workout [28] in the bathroom.
Don't Drink Your Calories
Soda, juices, and dessert-like coffee drinks [29] are high in calories without offering any hunger satiating protein or fibre. It's easy to sip down 300 or more calories in minutes! Stick to calorie-free beverages like water, seltzer, herbal tea, and black coffee.