How to reduce calories without going hungry: what to eat and how

Why does going hungry not work for weight loss?

Because the body defends itself. When you cut the amount of food a lot, it burns slightly less at rest and the hormones that raise appetite, such as ghrelin, increase. Keeping up the effort becomes very hard, and as soon as you ease off it is easy to end up eating more than you meant to.

We also tend to eat a fairly similar amount of food each day, by weight and by volume [1]. If the plate shrinks to tiny portions, that amount is not reached and hunger appears sooner. The way out is to keep the volume of the plate and lower the energy it holds.

What is energy density, and how does it help you eat more with fewer calories?

Energy density is the number of calories in each gram of food. Foods with low density provide few calories in a large portion. Foods with high density pack many into a very small volume.

Water lowers it the most, because it adds weight and volume without calories, and fat raises it the most [1]. That is why vegetables, fruit and soups have a low density, and their fibre adds fullness for very few calories.

A deep bowl of courgette soup without cream, or a generous salad, fills you up far more than two biscuits with a similar amount of energy. When the density of what you eat goes down, the total calories go down by themselves, without you trying [1]. You can use this by starting a meal with a vegetable soup, a salad or a piece of fruit. That light, generous first dish increases fullness and makes you eat less of the rest [1].

Which foods increase fullness without adding unnecessary calories?

Those that combine fibre and protein, and it helps if each main meal includes both.

Fibre slows stomach emptying. The European Food Safety Authority considers 25 g a day adequate for adults for normal bowel function [2]. It also links a fibre-rich diet with better weight maintenance [2]. You find it in vegetables, pulses, whole fruit and whole grains.

Protein is the nutrient that fills you up the most per calorie [3]. Eating more protein increases the fullness hormones, lowers those that raise appetite and helps preserve muscle while fat is lost [3]. Fish, chicken or turkey breast, eggs, pulses, tofu or skimmed dairy keep you full for hours without sending the energy of the plate soaring.

Stewed lentils with vegetables and a piece of fruit for dessert are a good example of a filling meal.

How to build your plate without weighing your food

You do not need kitchen scales. In the consultation we use the plate method, a visual guide for lunches and dinners.

• Half, vegetables. Raw, cooked, roasted or as a soup without cream. They provide water, fibre and micronutrients with very little energy.
• A quarter, protein. Fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, pulses or soya. They prolong fullness and protect muscle.
• A quarter, complex carbohydrates. Brown rice or wholemeal pasta, potato, sweet potato or quinoa. They remain on the plate and their proportion is adjusted.

The result is a generous, balanced plate. To organise the rest of the day, the weight-loss diet guide explains how to set up the full plan.

Where the calories you cannot see are hiding

In oil, sauces and drinks. Watching these points saves a lot of energy without taking food off the plate.

• Oil. Extra-virgin olive oil is good for the heart, but it has about 90 kcal per tablespoon. Poured by eye from the bottle, it is usually quite a bit more than you think. 1 or 2 tablespoons per main meal is usually enough.
• Drinks. Soft drinks, packaged juices and alcohol are taken in seconds and barely fill you up. The World Health Organization recommends that free sugars should not exceed 10 % of daily energy [4].
• Shop-bought sauces. Mayonnaise, Caesar sauce or industrial barbecue sauce contain a lot of oil and, often, sugar. They weigh little on the plate and a lot in calories.
• Fried and battered foods. They absorb a lot of oil during cooking. The oven, the air fryer, steaming or the griddle give you the same food with far less fat.

Do you need to count calories to get results?

It is not essential. For most people, building the plate well and watching the calories you do not see is enough. Counting them every day can create obsession and guilt over any unexpected change. It also disconnects you from hunger and fullness cues, and many people give it up within a few weeks. As a one-off tool, with a dietitian-nutritionist, it does help you learn where the calories are concentrated.

What is useful to know are the safety limits. The British obesity guideline advises against very restrictive or unbalanced plans, because they do not work in the long term and can be harmful [5]. Plans of 800 to 1,200 kcal a day, and those below 800, are left to specialist obesity services, with follow-up and never as a long-term strategy [5].

At Alimmenta we do not recommend diets below 1,200 kcal a day under any circumstances. Below that figure medical supervision is needed and nutrient deficiencies can appear. We aim for a sustainable fat-loss rate of around half a kilo per week, while preserving muscle. To build the habits step by step, you have the 10 keys to successful weight loss.

What mistakes do we see most in the consultation when people cut calories?

These four hold back progress and increase hunger.

1. Cutting out carbohydrates completely. In many people it brings tiredness, irritability and hunger in the mid-afternoon, which ends in night-time snacking. They are adjusted in amount and wholegrain options are chosen.
2. Relying on light or zero products. Many low-fat foods make up for the flavour with starches or sugars. Sweeteners can also keep your taste for very sweet foods.
3. Salads that fall short. Lettuce and tomato without protein or carbohydrates leave you hungry soon after. A complete salad includes egg, pulses or tuna and a complex carbohydrate. For the evening, you have dinner ideas for weight loss.
4. Skipping meals to compensate. Many hours without eating tend to increase hunger at the next meal and make it harder to control the amount.