Imagine eating whatever you like and not gaining an inch of extra fat. It’s everyone’s dream. Unfortunately, most of us have to wake up to a mundane “diet” that doesn’t allow us to stick to it for more than two hours. Thankfully, not anymore. Here are 20 scientifically proven ways to lose weight without dieting. No kidding! These methods work for everyone and are the best-kept secrets for weight loss. So, don’t just skim through this post, implement the tips to get the best and long-term results. Here you go!
1. Why Follow A Diet?
We all are on a diet, healthy or not. The word “diet” has been misconstrued for years. You must understand why you need to lose weight and if you really need to do so. If the answer is yes, think of the weight loss diet as a positive change in your daily diet, requiring only a few little tweaks. Don’t judge if someone wants to lose weight, or if someone doesn’t. Weight loss diet is not about restriction – it is about changing the way you eat, live, and treat your body and mind.
2. Make Your Own Way
So, some xyz diet worked for your friend, and now, you are also motivated to lose weight. Good! But do you really know that the diet plan that worked for your friend will work for you? Yes, you will lose the water weight, but the impact of quick weight loss is not equal to the positive outcomes of slow weight loss. You may not see immediate results, but that’s because habits take time to develop. Strive to better your lifestyle, and you will not require any diets to lose weight.
3. Eat
Starving yourself to lose weight? Well, you might lose the initial water weight but will soon regain it. The best and the only way to lose weight is to eat healthy. Apart from including fresh produce, whole grains, lean meat, and healthy fats in your diet, you must have 5-6 meals per day, small portions in small plates, and eat slow.
4. Kitchen Makeover Before Yours
Your kitchen is in dire need of a makeover. Unless you do that, you will not be able to give yourself a makeover. Toss out or donate all the junk food, high-sodium foods, refined sugar, milk chocolate, and highly refined carb foods. Stock your kitchen and fridge with veggies, fruits, whole grains, whole wheat bread, and lean protein.
5. Drink This In The Morning
No, not the regular warm water with honey and lime juice or just cold water. Soak two teaspoons of fenugreek seeds in a cup of water overnight. Strain the seeds and drink it first thing in the morning. Fenugreek seeds boost metabolism and keep you active throughout the day, and the water helps flush the toxins out of your body.
6. Break The Fast
It is a misconception that skipping breakfast is a way to cut calories and lose weight. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should not be ignored. Refueling your body a few times a day is very important. When you skip your breakfast, you start feeling extremely hungry by lunch time and end up overeating and choosing unhealthy food items. Missing breakfast also slows down your metabolism. Therefore, always have your breakfast within an hour of waking up. A bowl of whole grain cereal and low full-fat dairy can give a nutritious start to your day.
7. Drink Green Tea
Green tea is a great metabolism booster. It contains EGCG, an antioxidant that helps flush out toxins and improves overall health. In fact, drinking green tea can result in 400 extra calories burnt in a week
8. Chew Slow
Studies have proven that if you spend time in chewing food, you are likely to consume fewer calories. Chewing slowly prevents overeating because it gives the brain extra time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full. This also facilitates proper digestion and limits your portion size. Therefore, it is recommended that you chew your food about 35 to 50 times per mouthful.
9. Have Balanced Meals
Every meal that you have should contain proteins, good carbs (veggies/ fruits/ grains), and healthy fats. The trick is to strike a balance between the food groups so that your body is able to process it, provide energy, flush out toxins, boost immunity, and improve overall health.
10. Consume Fruits, Veggies, And Whole Grains
Low-calorie fruits and vegetables should be consumed more than foods that are high in fat and calories. Consume five different veggies and three different fruits every day as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. You must also include whole grains like whole brown rice, bran flakes, popcorn, barley, and sorghum in your diet as they provide the much-needed fiber, thus keeping you full for a long time.
11. Enjoy A Cheat Day
Well, call it an “I earned it” day, not a cheat day. If you are mostly or fully successful in following a better lifestyle, you have earned a cheat day. On this day, you can consume an extra 500 calories and have any food you like. But you must not exceed the extra 500 calories mark. Cheat days help you lose weight by preventing your metabolism from plateauing. By having a cheat day, you will keep your body guessing, which will keep the cells and metabolism active.
12. Eat Protein With Every Meal
Foods containing lean protein should form a part of every meal or snack as they provide a feeling of fullness for long periods, thus keeping you from overeating. Include yogurt, a small portion of nuts and peanut butter, eggs, beans, and lean meats in every meal to get the required amount of protein.
13. Careful With The Packaged Drinks
Drinking packaged fruit and vegetable juices, energy drinks, soda, and zero-cal soda not only prevents you from losing weight but also puts your health at risk. Though marketed as zero-cal, these sodas have other tastemakers and additives that make them worse than the normal ones. However, the amount of refined sugar in regular soda is too high, and drinking it too much can make you prone to diabetes. Drink freshly pressed or cold pressed fruit or vegetable juices. Also, if you use a centrifugal blender to make your juice, consume it immediately.
14. Stay Hydrated
Most of us drink lesser water than we are actually supposed to. Ideally, for weight loss, you must drink 3 liters of water per day. If you workout and sweat a lot, you must drink 4-5 liters of water. Not drinking enough water can make you eat more and feel fatigued and tired. This ultimately halts the metabolism, which, in turn, prevents fat loss. Drinking adequate water is the key to a healthy lifestyle. So, set reminders on your phone or download a health app that will help keep a count of the number of glasses of water you drank in a day.
15. Avoid Overcooking
Overcooking your food results in a considerable reduction of nutrients. If you are deprived of nutrients, you will not feel satisfied and may crave junk food. To prevent this, you can either increase the consumption of raw foods like salads or avoid overcooking your food. Have steamed, baked, blanched or grilled vegetables and grilled or baked meat and fish. Spice up your salad with a good low-calorie dressing. Use different ingredients to make the dressing yummy. Make sure you use colorful veggies to make your food look visually interesting.
16. Have Your Dinner Before 7:30 PM
Late night eating should be avoided as you are more likely to pile on extra pounds. In fact, you should have your last meal before 7:30 p.m. to avoid binging on a snack before dinner time. Herbal tea is a good option to satisfy your hunger after dinner. Brush your teeth to divert your mind from the idea of eating.
17. Pay Attention To Your Food
We have often heard (and even ignored) our elders advising us not to talk, read or watch TV while eating food. When you are multitasking during your meals, you are likely to consume more amount of food and pile on extra pounds. Hence, paying attention to what you are eating is very important.
18. Sleep
The importance of sleep cannot be ignored when it comes to triggering weight loss. While you are asleep, your body works to regulate your systems and heal any damage done by wear and tear. Even the digestive system pumps hard to process your food, metabolize the carbohydrates, and break down fats. Sleep deprivation results in changes in the hormone levels, particularly cortisol and insulin. Cortisol regulates sugar, fat, protein, mineral, and water metabolism, and insulin is responsible for blood sugar and fat storage. Sleep deprivation triggers cortisol production and leads to increased levels of insulin, which makes weight loss even more challenging. Thus, having a good night’s sleep can help a lot in reducing weight.
19. Count Your Steps
Ever thought of the fact that whether we are at work or home, we sit almost 24/7? And did you know that just by walking 15-20 minutes, you can improve your health tenfold? Whether at the office, school, or home, you must walk. Get up and take a walk every hour. Walk to your nearest grocery store, walk or bike to and from office, walk alone, with your date or your pet, walk around your home, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
20. Do Your Favorite Workout
If you hate going to the gym, high five! Gymming is not my thing, but dancing is. I am sure there is a form of exercise that makes you feel better instead of weighing you down. What about brisk walking, walking your dog, jogging, swimming, or cycling? The basic point is, get one hour of exercise every day. Start slow, learn correct technique, prepare your body and mind, and then give your 100% to the 60 minutes that you are going to spend on your body. I guarantee you will fall in love with these 60 minutes of your day and look forward to working out.
These are 20 ways you can lose weight without dieting. Try these methods out, and you will succeed for sure.
