Weight Loss Diets That Won't Leave You Hungry

Learning the proper way to eat to lose weight is essential for long-term weight loss success.

To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume; it's that simple. So unless you're going to be exercising for hours every day, you're going to need to cut calories to slim down. It sounds painful. After all, who really wants to eat less? Eating is one of life's greatest pleasures! And if your diet leaves you feeling hungry, it just won't work, period. But if you eat the right foods, you can take in fewer calories without actually eating less or ending up hungry. Even better, if you're disciplined, you can still enjoy occasional indulgences like dessert, dinner out and popcorn at the movies. It's not a gimmick; all it takes is a little bit of knowledge about which foods will fill you up without adding on pounds.

The mathematical side of cutting calories to lose weight is actually quite simple: cut 500 calories from your daily diet and you'll lose one pound per week. If you're like most people, you don't know how many calories you eat in a typical day, so begin by writing down every single thing you eat for three days (that includes that handful of M&Ms, the half can of soda and the leftover mac and cheese you ate off your toddler's plate!). Use a calorie counting book or website to determine how many calories you eat in a day, and average the numbers across those three days to determine your typical daily intake. Now subtract 500 from that number and voila: that's the number of calories you should be trying to limit yourself to every day.

One of the absolute best pieces of weight-loss advice I can offer is stay away from diets that restrict you to a limited number of foods or food groups. Not only do these diets usually deprive your body of the wide variety of nutrients it needs, they don't teach you how to eat for weight loss in the real world. Are you really going to give up bread, pasta and crackers for the rest of your life? Or eat a salad and grilled chicken for dinner every single night until you die? I hope not. There are literally thousands of healthy, filling diet foods you can and should eat when you're trying to lose weight (and yes, you need to allow yourself occasional treats and desserts). But you should focus on getting most of your calories from fiber-rich foods, lean protein sources and foods with a high water content. Fiber, protein and water all have special properties that help you feel full faster and stay full longer, so you can go hours without feeling hungry. Here's a nice list of low-calorie, filling weight loss foods; mix and match these foods to create an endless variety of meals and snacks that keep you within your daily calorie limit:

Fiber-Rich Foods

• Whole-grain bread
• Whole-wheat pasta
• Brown rice
• Beans
• Barley
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn (skip the butter!!)
• Lentils
• Beans
• Raspberries
• Apples (eat the skin, too)
• Pears (again, eat the skin)
• Strawberries
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Peas
• Artichokes
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Potatoes (that's right, don't skip the skin)
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Squash
  

Lean Proteins

• Chicken or turkey breast (skinless)
  
• Fish
• Seafood
• Beans
• Tofu
• Skim milk
• Nonfat Greek yogurt
• Reduced-fat cheese
• Reduced-fat cottage cheese
• Eggs
• Lean cuts of beef (like top sirloin, top round, bottom round, and sirloin tip side)
• Lean ground turkey
• Quinoa
• Lentils
• Pork tenderloin
• Edamame
• Canned tuna (packed in water)

Water-Rich Foods

• Soup (choose broth-based over cream-based)
• Lettuce
• Watermelon
• Broccoli
• Grapefruit
• Carrots
• Apples
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Cantaloupe
• Peppers
• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Strawberries
  

Thank you to thebittenword.com for the above image, which is published under Creative Commons License.