Hate Dieting And Exercise? What Can You Do To Lose Weight?

The good news is you don’t need to exercise to lose weight.

Exercise plays a small part in weight loss (about 10%)

90% is diet.

But to lose weight, you don’t need to change your eating habits completely.

Here are easy lifestyle adjustments you can do to loose weight:

Walk everyday

You will lose weight if you do brisk walking for at least 15-30  minutes every day. The best time to walk is in the morning right after you wake up, but any walk is better than no walk.

Walking doesn’t feel like exercise, you won’t sweat and you can listen to an interesting podcast along the way.

Get enough sleep

According to research, getting enough sleep can significantly aid weight loss efforts. Sleep deprivation often leads to increased calorie intake, especially from high-fat and high-carb snacks. 

Good sleep helps regulate hormones that control hunger and metabolism, making it easier to stick to a healthy diet. So, prioritizing sleep is a simple yet effective way to support your weight loss journey without intense workouts.

People have different sleep needs. Anything from 6-9h is normal, depending on your needs.

If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will store fat.

And you cannot catch-up just over weekend, consistency matters. Try naps if you cannot get enough at night.

Use sauna

According to government research, spending time in a dry sauna can help you lose body mass through sweating, especially if you have a higher BMI.

In a study with sedentary students, those with higher BMI lost the most weight, while underweight individuals lost the least.

This weight loss is due to fluid loss, so it’s important to stay hydrated.

Using a sauna is a relaxing way to potentially lose some weight, but remember to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Eat veggies and protein first, carbs after

Make sure that veggies make up the biggest part on your plate, then protein and the least – carbs (like rice, roti, tortilla, pita bread etc).

Why does this work? Because you are putting the most nutritious foods first and leaving the worst (nutrient-wise) for last. Now remember that it’s not bad to eat carbs, its just that we tend to eat too much and then not enough of veggies and protein.

If you want to skip the carbs sometimes, that’s perfectly ok. I am not suggesting zero-carb or very low carb, but low’er’ carb compared to where most people are today – which is very high carb.

Have a glass of water before the meal or when hungry

Feeling hungry? Drink water first, then reavalute.

Our brain trigger false hunger signals when we see something tempting in front of us.

This is also a great tactic to use before each meal. By doing this, you’ll be a little bit full before starting to eat. So when you eat, you will not be starving and choose bad foods. You’ll make better decisions and will also not be able to stuff yourself.

According to the research, staying hydrated might help with weight loss without intense workouts. Animal studies show that increased hydration can lead to less eatin.. This is linked to better cell metabolism and lower levels of angiotensin II, a hormone related to many chronic diseases.

Human studies support these findings, suggesting that good hydration can aid weight loss and reduce risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

So, simply drinking more water could be a relaxing and effective way to support weight loss efforts.

Eat fruit, don’t drink it (i.e no juices)

It’s very easy to get too much sugar through juices, so best to avoid them.

Fruits are rich in fiber so its very hard to eat too much. That’s natures way of keeping you in check.

But when you juice it, you take out the fiber so it’s mostly sugar and water.

Which is why you can overdo it and drink a lot of calories very quickly.

So, avoid juices – have the fruit instead.

Don’t eat while you watch TV

While watching TV, sometimes we don’t even realise what we are eating and how much we have already eaten.

Same goes with our phones.

When you’re eating your focus should be only on the eating.

Avoid late-night eating

It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat that affects weight, a study published in Cell Metabolism by Harvard researchers confirmes.

The study found that eating later in the day can increase hunger, decrease calorie burning, and promote fat storage, potentially leading to weight gain. Therefore, to help manage your weight, try to finish eating at least six hours before bedtime. This simple change can make a significant difference without needing to work out hard.

Reduce sugar intake

Lots of people love sweets. You don’t need to completely remove then from your diet, if you enjoy them.

Just reduce them, or swap them with healthier options. I talk about healthier food swaps in this article.