That allows you to eat more whole foods and control how much oil, sugar, and other high-calorie ingredients you use. Studies have shown that people tend to eat more when they eat out—though you must still be careful to limit portion sizes at home. If cooking from recipes, look for healthy lower-calorie ones that include nutrition analyses, and stick to the serving sizes.

Beverages are not as satiating as solid foods, and people usually do not compensate for liquid calories by eating less food. It’s okay to drink milk but otherwise stick with water or other noncaloric beverages like tea and coffee (watch the cream and sugar). Choose whole fruits over juice.

READ MORE: 5 Truths About Juice Cleansers

An often overlooked factor in body weight may be your sleep habits. Though the optimal amount of sleep varies from person to person, too little sleep (fewer than six hours a night in one study) has been linked to weight gain because it may affect appetite hormones and lead to increased hunger and food intake, decreased calorie burning, and increased fat storage.

READ MORE: 9 Easy But Effective Tips To Get The Best Sleep Tonight

Studies, including one in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, have found that dieters who regularly record what they eat lose more weight than those who don’t. It doesn’t matter how you do it—in a notebook, on the computer, or with an app on your phone—as long as you record your intake consistently and honestly (including even condiments and tastings you may take while cooking). This simple act makes you more accountable for what you eat and helps you see patterns in your eating habits that may be contributing to weight gain.

Many people find that going longer than a few hours without food makes them more likely to overeat later. Find a meal-timing pattern that works best for you. If you eat between meals, plan ahead for mini-snacks like a small container of low-fat yogurt with a handful of berries or or a tablespoon of peanut butter and a banana.

For example, you may eat more when you are stressed, depressed, upset, angry, lonely, or even happy and excited. To distinguish between real hunger and emotional eating, rate your hunger/fullness levels before, during, and after eating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “beyond hungry” or “starving” 10 being “beyond full”. Ideally you should eat when you are at level 3 and stop at level 7. If you often eat for reasons other than hunger, find pleasurable non-food-related activities that you can do instead, such as going for a brisk walk or run.

READ MORE: 8 Tricks That Will Stop You From Stress Eating So You Can Lose Weight

Slow eaters tend to feel more full and eat less. The process of chewing itself may also stimulate satiety signals. In addition, eating slowly makes you more aware of the smell, taste, and texture of the foods, which can lead to greater satisfaction with fewer calories.

You can eat all the broccoli and spinach you want, but for higher-calorie foods, portion control is the key. Check serving sizes on food labels—some relatively small packages contain more than one serving, so you have to double or triple the calories, fat, and sugar if you plan to eat the whole thing.

Take advantage of calorie listings on menus to find lower-calorie options, don’t order anything that’s been super-sized, and consider sharing entrées. Or have an appetizer or salad as your main dish. Reading over the whole menu before you order and asking questions of your server or the chef can help steer you toward more healthy, lower-calorie options. Request that dishes be prepared with no or minimal butter, oil, or other high-fat ingredients, and ask for salad dressings on the side so you can control how much you use.

Most people find foods high in fat and sugar pleasurable, since they activate the body’s “reward system”. Overly restricting such foods (or any other types of food you crave) can be counterproductive since it can increase your desire for them and lead to bingeing. An occasional treat is fine, as long as it doesn’t tip the scale with calories.

Text: Bauer/ Good Health/ Additional Reporting: Shenielle Aloysis