3 small diet changes that may lead to weight loss

When you think of trying to lose weight, what comes to mind? Are you concerned about skipping foods you love? Do you worry about feeling hungry all the time or eating meals that aren’t tasty?

In fact, making drastic changes to your diet—especially ones that are difficult to maintain—could set you up for challenges in the long run. Instead, try these research-backed steps that can help you make wise food choices and cut calories.

Be smart about fruit

Eating too much sugar is associated with health issues and weight gain. Since many fruits are high in natural sugars and carbohydrates, it might sound like eating them could lead to extra pounds. But in fact, fruit is a vital part of a healthy diet. Studies suggest regularly eating whole, fresh fruit can help a person maintain a healthy weight and may even contribute to losing extra pounds. (Whole fruit means fruit that isn’t processed or used as an ingredient in another dish.)

That’s because the sugar in whole fruit is different from that in processed, artificially sweetened foods. In fruit, sugar is packaged with fiber, water, and a variety of vitamins and nutrients. This combination can help you feel fuller for a longer time while also supporting your overall health.

Tip: For about 100 calories, have one medium-sized apple, 1 cup of grapes, 16 medium strawberries, or 2 cups of watermelon.

Limit white bread and white rice

Refined grains like white bread and white rice lack the fiber, minerals, and many nutrients found in whole-grain breads, brown rice, and other whole-grain foods. But there are other reasons to say “no thanks” to refined grains.

Swapping out refined grains for whole grains may help you to stay at a steady weight over time and even lose excess weight. That’s partly because whole grains help you feel fuller, more satisfied, and less hungry than refined grains.

Eating whole grains may also help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And if you already have diabetes or difficulty managing your blood sugar, it can help regulate fasting glucose levels (a measure of blood sugar).

Tip: Challenge yourself to ditch white bread for 10 days and see how much you really miss it. Try some whole-grain options instead. You could boost both your health and weight loss efforts.

Pump up the volume

Foods that are whipped or puffed with air may help you feel full without a lot of calories. The idea is that the food’s volume—the amount of space it takes up—can help with feeling satisfied.

Take popcorn. It’s light and airy and low in calories, so you end up eating about a third fewer calories than you would with an equivalent amount of more calorie-dense snacks, like potato chips.

If you use cream cheese or other spreads, try the whipped variety. They have fewer calories and fat per volume than regular varieties.

Tip: Try whipping air into eggs for fluffy omelets. To get maximum volume, mix them in a blender. When you’re ready to cook, don’t hold back on loading them up with nutrient-dense (but calorie-light) vegetables.