Are you wondering how to lose weight without exercising, or if it’s even possible?
The easiest and fastest way to lose weight is through a combination of diet and exercise.
However, if you detest working out or if your physical condition prevents you from doing so, there are ways to lose weight without exercise.
Sticking to a healthy, low-calorie diet will get you to your goal weight faster than exercise alone will. In fact, according to weight loss experts, losing weight is 75 to 80% diet and 20 to 25% activity-related.
So don’t use being unable to stick to a fitness regimen as an excuse for carrying excess pounds.
If you take in fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, with every 3,500 calorie deficit equal to one pound. This is regardless of whether the shortfall is due to eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the two.
If you cut 500 calories a day, you can expect to lose one pound a week. If you typically eat a lot of junk food, you may be able to cut 1,000 calories per day. In this case, you should drop two pounds a week.
In the next section of this article, we will look at some things you need to know about how to lose weight without exercising.
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How to Lose Weight Without Exercising Facts
Your starting weight will play a role in how quickly you lose your excess pounds. The higher your pre-diet weight, the faster you will slim down. If you have a naturally fast metabolism, you will lose weight faster than if your
metabolism is slow. Regardless of this, losing weight without exercising will take time.
Eat small amounts of low-calorie food often rather than two or three larger meals each day. This has proven to be the best way to fuel the body and to keep the metabolism running.
Try to regularly include foods that boost the metabolism in your diet. Fat burning foods won’t burn many extra calories, but they can make a difference over time, and they are good for you.
If you want to lose weight without exercising, at least try to move more. An active lifestyle provides far more benefits than just fat reduction. Included among these is lower blood pressure, therefore a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved mental clarity, and stronger bones.
A lack of exercise can also result in muscle loss. This is of particular concern with long-term weight loss, which will be the case if you have a lot of weight to lose.
Under these circumstances, your body will begin to use muscle for energy when it runs out of fat stores. Along with not being visually appealing, with a reduction of muscle mass comes a loss of strength. Less lean muscle also means a slower metabolism.
Meal Preparation Strategies
If possible, cook your own meals rather than eat at restaurants. You will know exactly what is in them, and you can calculate the calorie-count.
If you don’t have the time to cook nightly, prepare a week’s worth of meals on the weekend. Freeze those you won’t be eating within a few days so you will always have something healthy and low-calorie at hand.
Using an ingredients delivery service is an excellent option for busy individuals. Just make sure to choose a company that offers nutritionally-balanced meals.
The food is delivered fresh to your home or workplace along with recipe cards containing the meal’s calorie count and simple-to-follow preparation instructions. You will pay a bit more, but you will save time, and if you usually drive to the store, you will save on gas.
Other benefits include that you won’t have to calculate the correct serving size, and there is no wastage. And by staying away from the supermarket, you won’t have to fight the temptation to buy junk food.
If you’re really time-poor or you don’t want to cook, you can buy ready-made heat-and-eat meals.
If you must eat out, try to do so at a restaurant that lists the fat and calorie count of the dishes on the menu.
Some seemingly nutritious frozen meals contain high levels of sugar, sodium, fats, and preservatives. These should be avoided, so read the label before purchasing.
Keep reading to find out more ways to lose weight without exercise.
More Ways to Lose Weight Without Exercise
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Overhaul your diet
To lose weight without exercising, you will need to overhaul your diet.
Give up eating processed and sugar-laden foods, and base your diet around lean proteins, vegetables, and whole grains.
Increase your intake of vegetables. Veggies are low in calories, and their high fiber content will satisfy you, so you will eat less of other foods.
Replace cream and cheese sauces with herbs and spices. These are just as tasty and low in fat and calories.
Swap out white bread for fiber-rich whole grain. Whole grains are satisfying, so you will feel full for longer.
Skip the soda! Soda contains approximately ten teaspoons of sugar. Drink iced tea instead. It is healthier, it contains far fewer calories, and it is more refreshing. Filtered water is an even better option as it contains zero calories. If you don’t like plain water, add a squeeze of lime or lemon, or some chopped, fresh fruit.
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Eat slowly
Another reliable way to lose weight without exercising is to eat slowly. Rushing your meals often leads to overeating, so take smaller bites and chew each mouthful for longer. It takes approximately twenty minutes for our brain to realize that we are full.
Studies have shown that when eating at a more leisurely pace we take in fewer calories. This can result in a weight loss of up to 20 pounds in a year without making any other changes.
If you take smaller bites and chew each mouthful for longer, you will also relish the flavor for longer. Another benefit of eating more slowly is that you will be less prone to digestive problems.
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Get sufficient sleep & manage stress
Losing weight without exercise will be more difficult if you don’t get sufficient sleep. In fact, people who are regularly sleep-deprived not only have trouble losing weight, they also tend to gain weight.
This is due to an increase in ghrelin and a decrease in leptin, two hormones that influence appetite. Sleep quality is also a factor, so aim for seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
Keeping your stress levels under control will also assist with weight loss. The reason for this is that the stress hormone cortisol rises when we’re stressed. Cortisol boosts hunger, increases insulin levels, and causes blood sugar levels to drop. In these circumstances, we crave sugary and fatty foods. This is not ideal at any time, and even more undesirable when you are dieting.
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Log your food intake
Document everything you eat and drink for a week and how many calories it contains. Do this as soon as you’ve finished eating.
If you only write everything down once a day, you will probably forget about the incidentals and the exact amount you’ve consumed. Put what you typically eat onto your plate, then use a spoon, a measuring cup, or a kitchen scale to determine the serving size.
Next, calculate how many calories the foods contain. The easiest way to do this is to use an online food calculator or an app.
Weighing, calculating the calorie count, and making a note of everything we eat it tiresome. However, most of us tend to eat the same foods often. Once you know the calorie count of each food, you will see where you can cut back or make different choices.
With everything written down, you may also see patterns that provide insight into your eating habits. For example, if you don’t eat until you are famished, you might find that you overeat or make poor food choices. Being aware of this, you will be able to make changes that will result in weight loss.
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Calculate your caloric requirement
Along with calculating how many calories you’re taking in, you must understand your basic caloric needs. If you don’t have access to a device that calculates your daily calorie burn, there’s a formula you can use that is reasonably accurate.
Multiply your weight by 10 if you are an adult female or by 12 if you are an adult male. The number you get will give you a good idea of how many calories you need per day, without exercise, to maintain your current weight.
If you weigh 250 pounds, you are probably taking in around 2,500 calories per day. If you cut two hundred calories per day to an average of 2,300, it will take you approximately twelve months to lose twenty pounds.
You could then cut another two hundred calories to lose twenty pounds over the next year. For some people, exercising will then be possible as movement is usually easier and more enjoyable when we are carrying less weight.
How to Lose Weight Without Exercising Summary
If you want to lose weight without exercising, try to incorporate several five to fifteen-minute bursts of moderate-intensity movement every day. If you don’t like exercising, try to incorporate several five to fifteen-minute bursts of moderate-intensity movement every day.
This could be playing your favorite up-tempo music and dancing or taking your dog for a brisk walk. You could use the stairs rather than the elevator or get stuck into the housework with gusto. The possibilities are endless.
Combine this extra activity with a healthy, low-calorie diet, stress management strategies, and solid sleep, and it will be easier for you to lose weight without exercising.
