9 Strategies (Scientifically Proven) to Lose Weight Without Dieting

The West is losing the battle against obesity because we're not prepared to resist the abundance of food. But psychologist Traci Mann has an idea of how to achieve it.

"Our environment influences our eating behaviour more than we realize."

The director of the Health and Eating Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, psychologist Traci Mann, has studied for over two decades how we diet and react to self-imposed dietary restrictions. And her conclusion is clear: diets don't work.

"If you have a messy kitchen, you're three times more likely to snack on cookies than if you have a clean kitchen."

As she explains in her book "Secrets From The Eating Lab" (Harper Wave), most weight loss plans are based on willpower, and that's why they don't work because, as Mann explains, "no one has enough willpower to resist temptation if they're constantly facing it."

"We're not paying attention to calories, but we'll count the number of times we dip into the dip."

The West is losing the battle against obesity because our bodies and brains aren't prepared to resist the abundance of food. "It's an idea that goes against our biological imperative, which is to survive," says Mann. "Appealing to willpower is very nice, but it's just a myth. It makes no sense to spend time and money trying to fight our natural tendencies."

"Your bottomless pasta bowl is only bottomless because you don't realize how much you're eating."

Many times, all we achieve by dieting is gaining more weight than we had. Our brains are so adapted to seeking food that when we restrict its intake, a psychological stress response is created, which ultimately facilitates weight gain.

"We eat with our eyes, not with our stomach."

Mann has experienced the failure of diets firsthand. "I stopped dieting because it made me feel miserable," explains the psychologist in an interview with NPR. "I've seen my mother and father go from one diet to another, losing weight and regaining it, ad nauseam."

"If you want to be skinny, do what skinny people do."

The doctor is clear that people switch from diet to diet and only manage to reach their ideal weight with much suffering. But the worst part is that, as soon as they slip up, they regain what they had lost. All of this, of course, greatly benefits the diet industry, which hasn't cared at all about changing a paradigm as misguided as it is economically beneficial. The good news is that enough research has been done to know what weight loss strategies actually work.

"We don’t just need to change what we’re eating; we need to change how much and how often we’re eating."

Using Biology to Our Advantage

According to Mann, the weight loss techniques that work are those that make human nature work for us, not against us. "For example," Mann explains, "it's natural for us to struggle with willpower. I don't know anyone who doesn't. So, some strategies that I propose help us avoid situations where we're going to need a lot of willpower."

"If you're not paying attention to what you're eating, you'll just eat because it's there."

These are strategies like those proposed by another well-known food psychologist, Brian Wansink, which make it easier to eat healthy and harder to eat poorly. "They're not tricks," Mann assures. "They work even if you're very aware of them."

"The average person makes over 200 food-related decisions each day, but it is estimated that over 90% of these decisions are made unconsciously."

Here are 9 of the most interesting strategies that Mann proposes in her book and that we can all follow to lose weight effectively and, above all, to maintain a healthy diet throughout our lives, without great efforts or regrets.

Start every meal with vegetables

We all know that to lose weight we must prioritize the intake of fruits and vegetables, but we forget too often. How many times have you stopped eating salad when it was served as the last dish? To force ourselves to eat vegetables, Mann proposes that all your meals start with some vegetables: fruit for breakfast and salads or vegetable dishes for lunch and dinner. By doing this, our hunger will decrease after having taken the healthiest part of the menu, and we will eat less of the rest.

"The more variety of foods you have at a meal, the more you tend to eat."

Make healthy foods easy to eat

The psychologist believes that it's easier to maintain a healthy diet if healthy food is in sight and always available. The truth is that during the week we are usually very lazy, and it's much easier to put a frozen pizza in the oven than to start making green beans. Therefore, the easier it is for us to access healthy food, the more we will eat it.

"We tend to eat more of something simply because it’s there, and because we tell ourselves we should eat it before it goes bad."

Make unhealthy foods hard to eat

As a study by Brian Wansink showed, when fruit is placed in a nice bowl next to where we leave our keys – or when the cafeteria has a well-lit fruit bowl next to the cash register – it's more comfortable, attractive, and normal to choose a banana instead of a chocolate ice cream, especially if it's sitting in a corner of the freezer or, even more so, doesn't exist in our house.

We shouldn't think that we eat certain foods just because they are healthy; we have to think that we do it because they taste good.

"Your appetite isn't just a physiological event; it's a psychological event."

Make eating require some effort

Humans are very comfortable; so much so that if there is the slightest obstacle between us and food, we will settle for what we have at hand. This is the reason why we eat so much when we go to an all-you-can-eat buffet: we don't have to pay for each food, not even ask the waiter and wait for him to bring anything. There are no obstacles, so we eat until we burst. Something similar happens if our fridge is completely full of thousands of delicious things. It's better that we buy food little by little, just as it's better to bring a normal portion to the table and not a dish with everything we have cooked. This will make it much easier not to be tempted to repeat, just the fact that we are forced to get up makes us decide that we are not so hungry.

"We need to find ways to make it more profitable for companies to make healthier foods."

Don't think that healthy food is healthy

We shouldn't think that we eat certain foods just because they are healthy; we have to think that we do it because they taste good. Gazpacho is a healthy dish, but it's also delicious and very refreshing in summer, that's why we eat it without any effort. Salads can be a hassle, especially if we always eat the same combination. That's why it's great to vary and look for the healthy dishes that we really like. It makes no sense to force ourselves to eat boiled chard if we hate it, because at the slightest we will eat something else that we like.

"Food psychology has become more important as we’re getting a better understanding of how we’re tricked by the environment."

Train your mind to ignore fattening food

No matter how hard you try to stay away from unhealthy food, there will be many occasions when you have it at your complete disposal. In those moments, try to think of something abstract: instead of punishing yourself with the good looks of that donut and how delicious that pizza seems, think that you're not seeing food, but a pop art exhibition. It seems silly, but just not indulging in those things that you shouldn't eat makes them go more unnoticed, and we don't have to resort to the willpower that, as you already know, doesn't work.

"There are hidden persuaders all around us that are tricking us into eating more than we really want."

If you face a difficult situation, make a plan

If you know you're going to a party full of delicious and unhealthy food, plan in advance how not to stuff yourself. And remember that willpower doesn't work. Instead of thinking "I'm not going to take any of the fried foods passing in front of my eyes," think something like "I'm only going to take one thing from each, to try everything." It's very likely that this second strategy works better than the first.

Avoid going to the supermarket and do the shopping at the fruit shop, the fishmonger, and the butcher in your neighbourhood.

Know your weaknesses

Do you always buy a chocolate bar when you stop to refuel on weekends? Simply try to pay at the pump and not at the checkout. Do you always fill the shopping cart with things that you know aren't entirely healthy? Try not to pass through the candy aisle, the pastries, or the precooked dishes, or even better, avoid going to the supermarket and do the shopping at the fruit shop, the fishmonger, and the butcher in your neighbourhood. In the end, you will turn these strategies into habits, and that's much more effective than following a diet.

"We use food to say something about who we are, what we believe, or who we want to be."

Enjoy your food

Mann believes that certain mindful eating techniques - that is, the adaptation of mindfulness to nutrition - are perfect for losing weight. As the psychologist explains, if we focus on meals, enjoying every bite intensely, "not only will we enjoy it more. There's evidence that by savoring the food, you'll be satisfied with smaller portions."

"If you have a messy kitchen, you're three times more likely to snack on cookies than if you have a clean kitchen."

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Weight Loss Disclaimer:

The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or weight loss plan. Individual results may vary, and it is important to consider your own health needs and consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet or exercise program.