Clever Ways to Trick Your Body into Feeling Full

Cutting calories is the surest way to lose weight, but when your head is telling you you’re hungry and your coworker brings in fresh cinnamon rolls, even the strongest willpower won’t be able to resist. Here are some of the smartest ways to trick your body into feeling full so you won’t even want a medium pizza for lunch.

Related: 7 Foods Packed With Vitamin C

Eat Protein 

We’ve all seen articles that recommend reaching for a piece of celery to snack on when you’re hungry, but snacking on celery won’t make you full—it’ll just make you sad. Instead, go for a protein drink or some cheese. It’s been proven that protein increases satiety (fullness) and even has a slight thermogenic (fat-burning) effect, so it’s the smartest food group to turn to when you’re hungry enough to eat your body weight in chili fries.

Eat An Apple

Apples are miraculous little fruits, and they’re even more impressive when eaten before a meal. Apples contain fiber, which contributes to a full feeling, and pectin, which helps the body release fat. One study found that women who opted to eat an apple before each meal lost about a pound more per week than women who didn’t eat fruit before their meals. Your stomach simply won’t be able to hold as much food as it would without the apple.

Drink Water ­

Yes, you’ve probably heard this often, but it’s true—water will help you feel full. You may not have heard, however, that it’s genuinely difficult for the body to tell the difference between hunger signals and water signals. So, while you may think you’re hungry, you may actually be thirsty. Drink a full glass of water, wait 15 minutes, and then see if you still feel hungry. There’s a good chance your body just needed a drink, not a bite. And if you really want to up your satiety game, carry a water bottle with you throughout your day—you’ll be less likely to get bored and turn to food if you have a bottle to take a drink from.

Get New Dishes

We’re not suggesting a shopping spree (though power walking the mall isn’t a bad idea), but we are recommending swapping out your plates for smaller ones. The reason is psychological: larger plates make us think we’re not as full because a reasonable serving size is surrounded by more empty space than the same serving size on a smaller plate. It’s an optical illusion that can have a very real effect on your waistline. Swap out your plates for smaller ones, and you may find that you’re satisfied with a smaller amount of food and have no need for seconds.

Related: 10 Things You Are Probably Doing That May Be Sabotaging Your Diet

How’s that for mind over matter? Feeling full is possible without actually being full. You may find greater peace in your relationship with food and less compulsion to eat everything in the break room. Best of all, if you’re eating less, you may find the weight coming off in a healthy and maintainable way. And that’s no trick.