Everyone wants to lose weight, but not everyone can commit to exercising and dieting. Sometimes sticking to a diet and exercise plan can prove to be a challenge in some situations, especially if there are some financial challenges or health conditions at play. However, just because you may not be able to incorporate a special diet or exercise routine into your schedule, doesn’t mean you can’t still reach your goals or forego your weight loss plan altogether.
Where there is a will, there is a way! Today, I’m sharing a round up of how to lose weight without exercising or dieting.
How Do You Lose Weight Without Exercising And Dieting
Be empowered on your weight loss journey with these tips for how to lose weight without exercising or dieting. Trying to lose weight without regular physical activity won’t be an easy feat. However, this information will be helpful for everyone and can become especially useful during special cases like when traveling, swamped with a hectic school or work schedule, or experiencing some health challenges that make exercising or dieting difficult.
Can You Lose Weight Without Diet And Exercise
If you’re wondering if you can lose weight without diet and exercise, here’s the answer: yes. However, don’t think it will be easy. In fact, it might even require more of an effort because losing weight this way still involves planning ahead and having a ton of discipline (as with any other form of weight loss plan).
There are plenty of behavioral and lifestyle changes you can try that can help you lose weight effectively without diet and exercise. We’ll cover many of those below.
How To Lose Weight Without Exercise And Diet
Get mentally ready
Hitting any goal, no matter how tall the task is, requires a certain level of mental fortitude. You have to be ready and connected to a bigger reason for making such a huge lifestyle change. And this is a huge lifestyle change. The reason being is because something as important as weight loss requires consistency not only to first lose the weight, but also to maintain the weight loss after you reach your goal.
So before you decide whether or not this is something you are serious about taking on, first ask yourself – What is my why?
Plan your meals
The next thing you’ll need to do is decide what you’re going to eat week to week. For example, when you want to lose weight without dieting and exercising, that may require you to cook more meals at home. Is this something you can do?
Sit down every week to plan out your meals and groceries in advance, and then also cook them ahead of time so you can be sure to stay disciplined and consistent with your calorie intake. While not dieting, when you cook, you want to be intentional about preparing well balanced meals that include an array of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, etc. It’s also a good idea to include healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and fish.
This is probably the most important step towards losing weight when you’re not dieting or exercising because it works! Need more help with this? See also this meal plan to lose weight.
Make smaller plates
When it comes to creating a weight loss plan, especially without dieting or exercise, one of the simplest changes you can make is to practice portion control. Smaller plates and portion sizes really can go a long way. I don’t count this strategy as technically a diet because you’ll still get to eat the same foods you already know and love. With this method however, the logic is to cut back on at least some of your eating by using smaller plates and portion sizes.
Because losing weight really comes down to burning more calories per day than you eat. The goal with smaller portion sizes (and dieting) is eating less.
The beauty of this weight loss hack is the fact that it doesn’t require a ton of weight loss efforts to reach your goals. And, you won’t need to make big changes in your lifestyle or spend a ton of extra money. In fact, you will be saving money when you eat less and make more plates. Try it out and see how it works for you.
Eat lean proteins
When you want to lose weight, another tactic you can try that isn’t technically a diet is to eat more lean proteins. So for example, if you’re used to having Taco Tuesday, swap out the ground beef for lean ground beef or a lean ground turkey alternative. Some lean proteins that you may already eat on a regular basis include chicken, turkey, fish, pork loin, beans, yogurt, and quinoa.
Move when you can
It is kind of hard to lose weight without exercise or doing some type of regular physical activity. Regular physical activity helps to burn off calories and keep it off. The CDC recommends that we incorporate just 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, so if you can’t make it out to the gym or for a morning run, there are still other types of non-exercise movements you can do.
If you can’t do a formal workout or make it to the gym, you can incorporate regular physical activity into your normal lifestyle so you can be in a good position to lose weight. Regular physical activity can include lifestyle choices like playing outside with the kids or dog if you have any, picking a parking spot that’s further away, walking or pacing while on the phone, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The point is to find a way to move around more in your normal day to day so you can keep yourself busy (moving) whenever possible.
Cut out sugary beverages
One primary culprit for a high calorie diet that could be easy to change without having to diet is to cut out sugary beverages and beverages with sweeteners. This includes juices, sodas, and even sweet tea. The excessive intake of sugary beverages could lead to an increase in risks for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Also, if you’re having to cut back on your calorie intake to lose weight, I’m sure the last thing you want to do is drink all of your calories!
Swap out the sugary beverages for more water. Drinking more water is better for you anyway.
Relaxation and Rejuvenation
Believe it or not, stress plays a role in our ability to lose weight. When we’re stressed, our body releases hormones in our bodies that affect our blood sugar levels. Stress can also lead to emotional eating and weight gain. If you want to reach your goals when it comes to your weight loss plan, then practice stress management by incorporating more mindfulness and relaxation techniques into your lifestyle.
Bump up your fiber intake
An increase of fiber into your diet can help with weight loss by helping you slow down digestion, feel full longer – which in turn helps you eat fewer calories and could lead to you reaching for fewer processed foods. Eating more fiber can also help you have more bowel movements, which can contribute to weight loss.
Some high fiber foods you may already eat on the regular include vegetables like broccoli, green beans, and spinach. Whole grains like wild rice and brown rice, also lentils to name a few.
