How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

A well-balanced meal at the start of the day is a key part of any stay-slim plan. Research shows that breakfast eaters typically consume about 100 fewer calories during the course of the day and weigh less than those who forgo food in the morning.

This strategy works in the long run, too. Nearly 80% of participants in the National Weight Control Registry, which charts dieters who have kept off 30 pounds for a year or longer, have breakfast every day. An extra perk of eating a nutrient-dense morning meal: It supplies glucose to your brain to help you think clearly and function optimally until lunchtime.

To speed up weight loss, consider doubling — if not tripling — your intake of fruits and vegetables every day. Less than 2% of Americans eat the recommended nine daily servings, which is a major missed opportunity for shedding weight. Produce is made up mostly of water, so it's low in calories — meaning you can eat a lot without putting on pounds — and high in fiber, which helps curb hunger. Bonus: Numerous studies have shown that fruits and veggies are also great disease-fighters.

Yes, we want you to eat more veggies. But it's okay to experiment a little!" From farmers' market fresh to store-bought frozen, more is always more when it comes to veggies. Some colorful suggestions: yellow and orange peppers, purple cabbage, spinach, kale, arugula, eggplant, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, snow peas and alfalfa sprouts.

Your scale will thank you — a six-month study led by Pennsylvania State University researchers showed that people who filled up on produce ate up to 511 fewer calories each day, on average, compared to those who consumed less fruit and veggies.

Follow a low-cal diet that includes fish, and chances are you'll drop more pounds than you would eating the same meal plan minus the seafood, suggests a study published in theInternational Journal of Obesity. One possible explanation: Ounce for ounce, fish has fewer calories than almost all cuts of beef, pork and skin-on poultry.

But it's not just the low-calorie counts that make seafood such an effective flab fighter. Researchers theorize that omega-3 fatty acids, the polyunsaturated fats abundant in cold-water fish like salmon and mackerel, switch on the fat-burning process in cells — provided you also exercise (walking works just fine). Omega-3s have off-the-charts health benefits too. Studies show that they can help prevent everything from heart arrhythmias to menstrual cramps.

Another reason to pile fish on your plate: It can help you burn fat even when you're snoozing. It sounds like a diet gimmick, but Dutch researchers found that consuming nearly a third of your day's calories as lean protein — seafood being one of the best sources — could speed up your metabolism when you're awake and asleep.

Protein can also curb your appetite: A study from the University of Washington School of Medicine showed that people who were on a low-fat, high-protein diet for 12 weeks cut their daily food intake by 441 calories without even realizing it. They simply felt less hungry.

Dairy products are loaded with calcium, a mineral that may be nature's own weight-loss elixir. Scientists suspect that a diet high in calcium-rich foods (as opposed to supplements) may suppress calcitriol, a hormone responsible for enlarging fat cells and increasing fat storage. You need to get at least the recommended daily allowance of 1,000 milligrams in order to make your body break down fat more efficiently, which speeds up weight loss.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that dieters who loaded up on dairy lost roughly twice as much weight and body fat in six months as participants who avoided calcium-rich foods. Health bonus: In addition to slowing bone loss and preventing osteoporosis, research has linked dairy to lower rates of stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Swapping fattening butter, oil, and cream for zero-calorie spices and herbs is an instant way to slim down a dish. Research has shown that fiery flavors in particular can have longer-lasting weight-reduction benefits. For example, capsaicin, a spicy compound that's plentiful in chile peppers, can be a powerful appetite suppressant, metabolism booster, and fat burner. And a Canadian study found that people who ate appetizers made with hot pepper consumed 189 fewer calories at their next meal.

Cooking with herbs and spices that ratchet up food's flavor also means you're less likely to season with salt. That's a plus, because most women eat more than 1,000 milligrams over the recommended 2,300 milligrams of salt a day. While too much sodium doesn't lead directly to weight gain, it can cause water retention and bloating.

Whole grains are digested slowly — thanks to the bran and germ, which are left intact — so they keep your blood sugar steady and your hunger in check. That appetite-stabilizing mechanism may explain why women in a 12-year Harvard study who ate plenty of whole grains gained less weight than those who consumed a lot of refined grains (think cake, white bread, and all those other white-flour goodies that wreak havoc on your blood sugar and leave you craving more carbs). Swap sugary processed foods and refined grains for 100% whole-grains, and look for snacks where sugar — or any version of it — is not the first ingredient.