If dieting was easy, everyone would be at an ideal weight. What can you do to eat less? This article will teach you some proven tips to control how much you eat!

1. Chew Gum

Chewing gum can do three things to help you consume fewer calories. First, when you feel a craving for something sweet, you can reach for gum instead of a high-calorie snack, such as doughnuts, ice cream, or cake. Regular gum has about 10 calories, and sugar-free gum usually contains 5 calories or less per piece. When you compare that with a 450-calorie doughnut, you can imagine the calories you save each time you choose gum over a sugary dessert. Second, according to a Louisiana State University study gum-chewers seem to consume 40 calories less per day than non-gum chewers, perhaps because all the chewing helps control appetite. Third, a University of Rhode Island study revealed that participants who chewed gum burn about 5% more calories in a day than non-chewers. Every little bit counts!

2. Drink Water

Juice and soda are delicious beverages, but if you drink them with meals, you will be consuming a lot of extra calories from sugar. A healthier, and perhaps just as delicious option, is water. If you drink water before you eat, you are less likely to overeat because the water will take up some of the room in your stomach so you will more quickly feel full.

3. Eat on Small Plates

If you eat on a small plate, you can trick your brain into thinking you ate a lot of food! You will eat less unconsciously without feeling like you deprived yourself of a big portion. Science confirms it; study participants who ate from small bowls of snacks consumed an average of 142 fewer calories that participants eating the same snacks from big bowls.

4. Use a Big Fork and a Small Serving Spoon

Weirdly, the size of your utensil does affect how much food you consume before you feel full, but the effect doesn’t occur in the same way to different types of utensils. For instance, in one study, participants with the biggest forks ate the least. In another study, participants loaded 14.5% larger portions onto their plates with a big serving spoon than with a smaller one.

5. Spice It Up

Many spices are known to reduce hunger pangs. A few of the yummiest are ginger, capsiate, and capsaicin. Ginger is a root that can be used in many dishes and beverages. Capsaicin is the compound that brings the heat to hot peppers. Capsiate is found in sweet peppers. These spicy ingredients generate heat, which may speed up your metabolism, decrease hunger pangs, and intensify feelings of fullness.

6. Use Half Your Plate for Veggies

Besides being full of nutrients and minerals, vegetables are low-calorie because they contain lots of water and fiber. If you fill half the plate with vegetables, you will feel satisfied because you are eating the same volume of food as normal, but you will cut your number of calories.

7. Pair Everything with Protein

Protein makes you feel more full than carbohydrates or fat. So if you eat a portion of protein with every meal and snack, you will eat fewer calories overall. In addition to meat, you can find protein in eggs, dairy, beans, tofu, nuts.

8. Don't Get Distracted by Technology

Especially when dining alone, it’s common to play around on your smartphone or watch television while you eat. This is a big no-no if you want to eat less. If you practice this habit, not only will you eat more at that meal, but also you will take in more calories throughout the rest of the day! Instead, practice mindful eating. That’s the practice of tuning in to your body’s signals so you learn to distinguish between hunger, fullness, and even cravings generated by emotions rather than actual physical hunger.