Eat More,
Weigh Less?
How to manage your weight
without being hungry
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
607 calories
293 calories
Can you weigh less
without eating less?
Have you tried to lose weight by cutting down
the amount of food you eat? Do you end up
feeling hungry and not satisfied? Or have you
avoided trying to lose weight because you're
afraid of feeling hungry all the time? If so, you are
not alone. Many people throw in the towel on
weight loss because they feel deprived and hun-
gry when they eat less. But there is another way.
Aim for a slow, steady weight loss by decreasing
calorie intake while maintaining an adequate
nutrient intake and increasing physical activity.
You can cut calories without eating less nutri-
tious food.The key is to eat foods that will fill
you up without eating a large amount of calories.
If I cut calories,
won't I be hungry?
Research shows that people get full by the
amount of food they eat, not the number of calo-
ries they take in. You can cut calories in your
favorite foods by lowering the amount of fat
and/or increasing the amount of fiber-rich ingre-
dients, such as vegetables or fruit.
Let's take macaroni and cheese as an example.
The original recipe uses whole milk, butter, and
full-fat cheese. This recipe has about 540 calo-
ries in one serving (1 cup).
540 calories
Here's how
to remake
this recipe:
• Use 2 cups non-fat milk
instead of 2 cups whole milk.
• Use 8 ounces light cream
cheese instead of 2 1⁄4 cups
full-fat cheddar cheese.
• Use 1 tablespoon butter
instead of 2 or use 2
tablespoons of soft trans-fat
free margarine.
• Add about 2 cups of fresh
spinach and 1 cup diced tomatoes (or any other
veggie you like).
Your redesigned mac and cheese
now has 315 calories
in one serving
(1 cup). You
can eat the same
amount of mac and
cheese with 225
fewer calories.
315 calories
In order to be able to cut calories without eating
less and feeling hungry, you need to replace some
higher calorie foods with foods that are lower