We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission or other tangible benefit. Wellos and Healthline Media are owned by RVO Health. Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:
  • Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
  • Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
  • Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?
We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
Was this helpful?

Some practices like chewing slowly and eating more fiber may help you lose weight without exercise or a specific diet plan.

Sticking to a conventional diet and exercise plan can be difficult.

However, there are several proven tips that can help you eat fewer calories with ease.

These are effective ways to reduce your weight, as well as to prevent weight gain in the future.

Here are 9 ways to lose weight without diet or exercise, all of which are based on science.

group of friends enjoying lunchShare on Pinterest
Piskunov/Getty Images

Your brain needs time to process that you’ve had enough to eat.

Chewing your food thoroughly makes you eat more slowly, which is associated with decreased food intake, increased fullness, and smaller portion sizes (1, 2).

How quickly you finish your meals may also affect your weight.

A review of eight studies reported that people who didn’t eat quickly had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than fast eaters (3).

To get into the habit of eating more slowly, it may help to count how many times you chew each bite.

Summary

Eating your food slowly can help you feel more full with fewer calories. It is an easy way to lose weight and prevent weight gain.

The typical food plate is larger today than it was a few decades ago.

This trend could contribute to weight gain, since using a smaller plate may help you eat less by making portions look larger.

On the other hand, a bigger plate can make a serving look smaller, causing you to add more food (4, 5).

You can use this to your advantage by serving nutrient-dense, lower calorie foods on bigger plates and high calorie foods on smaller plates.

Summary

Smaller plates can trick your brain into thinking you’re eating more than you actually are. Therefore, it’s smart to consume higher calorie foods from smaller plates, causing you to eat less.

Protein has powerful effects on appetite. It can increase feelings of fullness, reduce hunger, and help you eat fewer calories (6).

This may be because protein affects several hormones that play a role in hunger and fullness, including ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (6).

According to one study in 105 people, those with greater adherence to a high protein diet lost significantly more weight than those who adhered to a standard protein diet (7).

If you currently eat a grain-based breakfast, you may want to consider increasing the protein content of your meals.

In one study, people who ate a high protein breakfast with eggs and toast experienced less hunger and ate fewer calories later in the day compared to those who ate a lower protein breakfast with cereal (8).

Some examples of protein-rich foods include chicken breasts, fish, Greek yogurt, lentils, quinoa, and almonds.

Summary

Adding protein to your diet has been linked to weight loss and decreased hunger.

Cooking your own meals at home is a great way to include more nutritious foods in your diet.

It might also help promote weight loss.

In fact, research suggests that people who prepare more meals at home tend to gain less weight than those who regularly dine out or eat prepared foods (9).

A 2017 study also found that meal planning may be associated with improved diet quality and a reduced risk of obesity (10).

Try stocking up on nutrient-dense ingredients and experimenting with a few new recipes each week.

Summary

Preparing more meals at home may help improve the quality of your diet and support weight loss.

Eating fiber-rich foods may increase satiety, helping you feel fuller for longer.

Studies also indicate that one type of fiber, viscous fiber, is particularly helpful for weight loss. It increases fullness and reduces food intake (11, 12).

Viscous fiber forms a gel when it comes in contact with water. This gel increases nutrient absorption time and slows down the emptying of your stomach (11, 12).

Viscous fiber is only found in plant foods. Examples include beans, oat cereals, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, oranges, and flax seeds.

A weight loss supplement called glucomannan is also very high in viscous fiber (13).

Summary

Viscous fiber is particularly helpful in reducing appetite and food intake. This fiber forms gel that slows down digestion.

Drinking water can help you eat less and lose weight, especially if you drink it before a meal.

One study found that drinking water before a meal reduced the amount of food consumed, without significantly affecting satiety (14).

Another study showed that drinking 1 pint (568 milliliters) of water before a meal decreased calorie intake and hunger while also increasing fullness and satisfaction (15).

If you replace calorie-loaded drinks — such as soda or juice — with water, you may experience an even greater effect (16).

Summary

Drinking water before meals may help you eat fewer calories. Replacing a sugary drink with water is particularly beneficial.

Paying attention to what you eat may help you consume fewer calories.

People who eat while they’re watching TV or playing computer games may lose track of how much they have eaten. This, in turn, can cause overeating.

One 2013 review of 24 studies found that people who were distracted at a meal ate about 10% more in that sitting (17).

Additionally, absent-mindedness during a meal has an even greater influence on your intake later in the day. People who were distracted at a meal ate 25% more calories at later meals than those who were present (17).

If you regularly consume meals while watching TV or using electronic devices, you could be inadvertently eating more. These extra calories add up and have a massive impact on your weight in the long term.

However, more research is needed, as studies have turned up mixed results on how mindful eating may affect food consumption (18, 19, 20).

Summary

People who eat while distracted are more likely to overeat. Paying attention to your meals may help you eat less and lose weight, but more research is needed.

When it comes to health, people often neglect sleep and stress. Both, in fact, have powerful effects on your appetite and weight.

A lack of sleep may disrupt the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. Another hormone, cortisol, becomes elevated when you’re stressed (21).

Having these hormones fluctuate can increase your hunger and cravings, leading to higher calorie intake (22, 23).

What’s more, chronic sleep deprivation and stress may increase your risk of several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity (24, 25, 26).

Summary

Poor sleep and excess stress may imbalance several important appetite-regulating hormones, causing you to eat more.

High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, has been linked with a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes (27).

It’s very easy to consume excess calories from sugary drinks because liquid calories don’t affect fullness the way solid food does (28).

Reducing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages may be associated with weight loss.

According to one meta-analysis, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with low calorie or no calorie sweetened beverages could be linked to reductions in body weight, BMI, and percent body fat (29).

Lower calorie beverage options include water and plain or lightly sweetened coffee or green tea.

Summary

Sugary drinks have been linked to an increased risk of weight gain and many health conditions. Your brain doesn’t register liquid calories as it does solid foods, making you eat more.

Many simple lifestyle habits can help you lose weight. Some have nothing to do with conventional diet or exercise plans.

You can use smaller plates, eat more slowly, drink water, and avoid eating in front of the TV or computer. Prioritizing foods rich in protein and viscous fiber may also help.

However, it’s probably best not to try all these things at once. Experiment with one technique for a while, and if that works well for you then try another one.

A few simple changes can have a massive impact on your weight over the long term.