7 Easy Weight Loss Without Exercise Tips

One of the most researched, not to mention one of the most funded and researched topics around, is weight loss; everyone wants to know the secret! A quick google search yields countless results of quick ways to lose weight, 5 steps to a bikini body in just 7 days and so much more.

Now, keep in mind that weight loss is very individual and there are many different components to weight loss, from genetics, to being more carb sensitive, to decreasing processed foods, to lowering insulin levels and much more. One important thing to remember is the old adage, “calories in and calories out” has been thoroughly debunked. Different foods behave differently in different people. That said, there are quite a few tips that can put you on the right track for losing weight. As I am not a medical professional, my main advice is to find the one (or more than one) tip that works best for you.

Research has found that what we eat is more important than the exercise (verywellfit.com). Yup, abs are made in the kitchen! Check out these 7 tips to help you lose weight without the need for exercise.

1. Follow an App

Remember how I mentioned that the subject of weight loss was well-funded and researched? Well, this includes a number of weight-loss apps designed to help you lose weight. While there are various choices, let’s highlight a couple of the more popular. The Lost it! app as well as the My Fitness Pal app, both allow for the user to eat what they want as long as it is within their daily budget of calories or macros. You can also scan in food barcodes, enter your recipes to pull up whenever you cook that meal, and keep track of your goals and weight loss. Use this app to help you ensure you are getting adequate protein and not overdoing the carbs!

2. Adequate Sleep

Without even conducting a drop of research I can tell you that when I am tired, I eat a lot more that day to keep my energy boosted. Or I just find myself mindlessly snacking. And what I eat is everything bad for me. But to drive this point home further, according to sleepfoundation.org, the less sleep we get or even decreased sleep quality has caused our overall body mass index (BMI) to steadily rise over the years. When we are deprived of sleep, whether because we are stressed, it is disrupted due to children, or maybe we are overworked, we suffer from what is known as metabolic dysregulation where we have elevated blood sugar levels which leads to higher insulin levels and weight gain. In fact, pulling just 1 all nighter can throw your blood sugar off for several days. Essentially our metabolism is not at its best which can lead to more overeating and more weight gain. The takeaway of this is to ensure you get the best sleep you can every night with a dark room without phones or TVs.

3. Fasting, The Right Way

Fasting has been around for a while; it’s even in the word breakfast, as the first meal we consume every day to break the fast we have had overnight. But a newer idea, perhaps, is the notion of intermittent fasting; healthline.com describes it as an eating pattern that includes short-term fasts. Through these eating patterns, where less food is consumed and thus fewer calories, many people have stated that it has not only helped to control their weight but can also aid them with their troubling health conditions, such as helping to lower their blood cholesterol. There are a variety of ways to go about this, one way is to restrict the eating time frame, such as eating within an eight-hour window, then fasting for 16 hours. Some alternate the days they eat or eat regularly within five days, and then heavily constrict their food consumption the other two days. This is an idea that can be played around with, and ultimately comes down to personal preference and if you find fasting works well for you. Be sure to check out different apps that can help you make fasting more successful! And be sure to check out our post all about different types of fasting.

4. Listen to Your Body

Our bodies have a funny way of whispering to us when something isn’t right. When we don’t listen to them, they start to scream. As a woman who has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I have found that my body does better when I don’t consume certain foods. According to womenshealth.gov, one out of every ten women suffers from PCSO. And while each woman’s symptoms are varied, a large number of women find an intolerance to dairy, wheat, and sugar. As such, when these foods are eliminated from her diet, she will find that not only will she feel better, weight loss is a bonus. An elimination diet is a great way to discover what works and what doesn’t for your body. My biggest tip for this is to start slow; if you start too fast you risk feeling overwhelmed and could give up on this journey. While you may feel worse before you feel better, as your body will go into detox mode for every food you eliminate. Try it one food at a time. For example, try giving up gluten for a month and see how you feel. If you feel better, continue on this path; if you reintroduce gluten after some time and feel worse, you will know that that food item is not for you.

5. If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Eat It

While this sounds simple enough, we are often tempted to eat different foods when we see tempting foods. For example, Taco Bell’s sales increased when they advertised more during late night television. Here are some tips: don’t watch food commercials, avoid anything that is processed, boxed foods that have multiple ingredients that do not contain the names of real foods, avoid shopping when you’re hungry, shop the outer edge of the grocery store, don’t bring the bad food into your home. Oh, and if you can’t handle driving by your favorite fast-food place without stopping, change your route.

6. Take the Time to Cook and Eat

Another simple idea but one that has tremendous rewards is cooking your own food from scratch. You can control the ingredients you choose and swap out unhealthy vegetable seed oils for nutritious oils like cold pressed olive oil or grass fed beef tallow. Learning about food and its nutritional values can go a long way into the type of food we cook for ourselves and our families. Focusing on nutrient-dense foods versus empty calories will teach you to cook with foods like sweet potato versus a regular potato. Why? Because the first is fiber-rich, therefore more filling, and the second is not. Once you are cooking up a storm with all your nutrient-healthy meals, make sure you enjoy them sitting down. Doing so allows for you to focus on your meal, eliminate mindless eating, and can help you to recognize when you are full. Another tip is to use a smaller plate because you are less likely to overeat this way.

7. Drink Enough Water

Drinking enough water throughout the day is essential for many reasons, such as can be learned more about in our water post here, but it can also help you lose weight as is suggested by medicalnewstoday.com. Not only can it help to suppress your appetite, taking up space that food otherwise would, but sometimes we eat when all we are is thirsty. Water also helps to eliminate waste in our bodies and helps dilute insulin and glucose levels. Additionally, you can add electrolytes such as magnesium and nutrient rich salt (Redmond is a great brand). This way you can have a continual source of magnesium which helps with sleep, mood, anxiety and so much more without the GI side effects. There are so many little ways that the food we eat contributes to the weight we carry around with us. The key is not to get discouraged if what works for someone else doesn’t work for you. The key is consistency and committing to something for 30 days. After 30 days, your new habit changes will start to become more permanent in your life.