People often make resolutions to lose weight and turn to quick fixes that may not be right for them.

“I have a lot of respect for people who can follow highly restrictive diets,” says Adam Rhodes, MD, a family medicine physician at Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley. “Those diets can lead to very significant and very rapid weight loss. But they don’t always include a good plan to keep the weight off.”

Eating fewer than 800 calories a day drops pounds quickly, but when you return to more normal eating patterns, your metabolism will have slowed, and weight will creep back.

“And those diets can be agonizing,” Dr. Rhodes says, pointing out that extreme diets can cause irritability, light-headedness and constant hunger.

For most people, he recommends starting with one small change and building healthy eating and activity habits from there. Cutting cooking oil and avoiding fried foods are a good start. So is focusing more on eating fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and veggies lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels and help stave off heart disease and obesity. Just remember that when it comes to plant–based diets, you have many options.

Watch your portions. Serving sizes for pasta, rice and other packaged foods are often smaller than you’d expect. It can be shocking to measure out a serving and realize we are often eating several servings at each meal or snack. Check the nutrition facts label for information about serving sizes and calories and see if you really need more than one serving. Also, use the label to help you make healthier choices about fat, sugar and salt.

A low-fat or fat-free food may have fewer calories than its full-fat equivalent, but not always. In fact, added sugar or starches can raise the calorie count. “And actually,” says Dr. Rhodes, “small amounts of healthy fats, such as avocado or walnuts, can help you feel full sooner, so you eat less overall.”

It takes your body about 20 minutes to send the “I’m full” signal to your brain. When you eat quickly, you tend to eat more. Eat mindfully, chewing every bite 15 to 20 times and enjoying the taste, smell and texture of your food.

“We eat more when we eat in front of screens like computers, phones or television,” says Dr. Rhodes. “Eating with others and talking with family or friends creates breaks that naturally slow you down.”

Water can help curb your appetite. A study found that overweight individuals who drank two cups of water before every meal lost more weight than those who did not. Moreover, people often mistake thirst for hunger, and reach for a snack when a glass of water is really all they need. Add a small splash of fruit juice or squeeze of lemon to water if you want more flavor.