Trying to lose weight? Here’s what you should add to your diet, rather than cut, according to experts

We tend to think weight loss is about taking things away: calories, carbs and sugar, for instance.

And while losing weight requires an energy deficit—consuming fewer calories than your body burns—that doesn’t mean eating as little as possible.

Instead, experts say adding filling, nutritious foods to your plate could make a healthy eating pattern easier to sustain.

“When you focus on the foods you think you shouldn’t eat, it makes you want them more,” says Dr Theresa DeLorenzo, a sports, menopause and body image dietitian.

“Labelling foods as good and bad creates unnecessary feelings of guilt around eating them, leading to a cycle of restricting and bingeing,” she tells Fit&Well.

“Focus instead on adding foods that are beneficial. It makes it easier to get full, feel more satisfied and less deprived, and can help with weight management.”

I asked DeLorenzo what she recommends adding to your plate when you’re trying to lose weight, and also canvassed dietitian Lavanya Kethamukkala for her suggestions.

Four things to add to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight

1. Protein

“Protein supports fullness, muscle preservation and recovery, all of which are important during weight loss,” says Kethamukkala, registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Nourishing Expert.

Protein also helps to suppress appetite, she says, by “reducing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin while boosting satiety hormones like PYY, GLP-1, and CCK, and by slowing down how fast your stomach digests.”

When combined with strength training, adequate protein can also help preserve lean muscle mass while losing body fat, she adds.

Kethamukkala recommends around 1.0g-1.4g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day during weight loss, although individual requirements vary.

How to make it work: Kethamukkala says you can easily add more protein to your diet without powders or highly processed products.

"A well-balanced whole-food, plant-based diet built with beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk, peas, nuts, and seeds provides protein for muscle strength, fiber for gut health, and antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals for immunity and metabolic health.”

2. Fiber

If you want to lose weight, then adding fiber to your diet is also vital, says Kethamukkala.

“Fiber slows digestion and stomach emptying, helps keep blood sugar steadier, and stimulates fullness hormones such as GLP-1, Peptide YY, and CCK.

“When gut bacteria ferment certain fibers, they also produce short-chain fatty acids that may further support appetite regulation.”

Upping your fiber intake will help you “feel satisfied with fewer calories”, she says.

How to make it work: “Choose beans, lentils, vegetables, berries, whole grains, chia seeds, flaxseed and whole fruits,” says Kethamukkala.

“Add beans to salads, veg to pasta, berries to oatmeal, seeds to your breakfast and swap refined grains for whole grains.”

3. High-volume, low-calorie vegetables

Next, the experts recommend filling your plate with a colorful mix of high-volume vegetables.

Packed with water and fiber, they add bulk to meals for relatively few calories, helping you feel satisfied while also providing a range of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds.

How to make it work: “Think leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms—and use them to make filling vegetable soups and salads,” says Kethamukkala.

4. Healthy unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats found in foods such as nuts, seeds and avocado can also be part of a satisfying weight-loss diet.

Nuts and seeds provide fiber and protein as well as healthy fats, but these foods are energy dense, so portion size still matters.

How to make it work: “Nuts and seeds are some of the foods I encourage my clients to eat daily,” says DeLorenzo, founder of Nutrition for Optimal Performance.

“Add walnuts and chia seeds to oatmeal and yogurt and hemp seeds to mashed potatoes and vegetables.

“I also tell my clients to eat hummus, avocado and hemp seeds on their toast in the morning. All of these additions increase fiber and protein intake, making you feel full quicker, and for longer.”

And one thing to keep in your diet

Your favorite foods

Ultimately, these experts say food shouldn’t be the enemy. When you focus more on nutritious and naturally filling ingredients, it’s a behavioral shift that can really make a difference to weight loss.

“If you want to lose weight and keep it off, build a healthy plate that leaves you happy and satisfied,” says Kethamukkala. “Don’t fear, but embrace, food.”

DeLorenzo agrees: “Don’t avoid your favorite foods, you will feel deprived and overconsume these foods later.

“Eating is more than just providing us energy. It’s also about celebration, culture and socialization.”