A healthy diet and good exercise habits are not only necessary for weight loss. Exercising and eating a well-balanced diet not only have huge physical benefits—such as improving heart health, bone density, and lung capacity—but also mental benefits. Exercise is known to reduce anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem and help people cope with stress.
How to lose weight without dieting or exercising
If you’re wondering what you can do to start the new year on your weight loss journey without overly altering your diet or exercise habits, check out these tips.
1. Eat more protein
Getting enough protein is one of the most important things when trying to lose weight. Eating more protein at meals and snacks can satisfy hunger for longer because it takes longer to digest, which in turn keeps you fuller for longer. Studies show that a high-protein diet can make you feel fuller throughout the day than a diet rich in carbohydrates or fats. If you’re exercising, even just a little, protein is even more important. Protein also gives your muscles what they need to recover from a workout.
While strict dieting or constant exercise is the initial ‘go-to’ method of weight loss for many, there are better, healthier ways to achieve sustainable results.
2. Don’t buy sugary foods
If you want to lose weight without changing your lifestyle, one of the best things you can do is reduce your sugar intake. Reducing sugar intake, exercising 4-5 times a week and introducing more protein are all effective ways to help with weight loss. There is an absolutely effective way to reduce your sugar intake by not buying sugary foods at the store. A 2016 study found this to be one of the most effective ways to reduce consumption of foods high in sugar.
3. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods
Similar to eating more protein, a high-fiber diet has been shown to be associated with satiety, helping you stay fuller for longer. One study looked at the properties of oats, a high-fiber food, and found that this classic breakfast staple helps release satiety hormones that stimulate the release of appetite-regulating peptides. Whether consumed as part of a meal or as an extract, studies have found that oats have a very positive effect on reducing appetite within a few hours. In addition to its ability to help improve digestion, fiber has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer. Foods that are typically high in fiber include: beans, lentils, popcorn, berries, avocados, whole grains, apples, dried fruits, potatoes, nuts. Research shows that a special type of fiber, called viscous fiber, is useful for those trying to lose weight. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, it not only increases satiety but also reduces food intake in the hours after eating.
4. Cook at home
Research shows that those who cook at home are healthier overall. That’s because restaurant meals tend to have more sodium, saturated fat, and more calories than the food you cook at home.
In addition to this, home cooking may use fresher ingredients, giving people the opportunity to incorporate more vegetables and natural ingredients into their diets. This cuts down on the high amounts of trans fats, preservatives, and other unhealthy ingredients found in processed foods, and it also gives you a sense of accomplishment from enjoying a meal that’s made by yourself. This boosts your mental health and encourages you to exercise more often, one of the most obvious ways to lose weight.
5. Fix your sleep schedule
If you want to lose weight without dieting or exercising, learning how to adjust your sleep schedule should be a top priority. Aiming to enjoy higher quality sleep is a realistic and beneficial way to lose weight or avoid weight gain. Research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and weight gain in people of all ages. This may be because sleep duration affects ghrelin and leptin levels; these are hormones that regulate hunger. You’re also less likely to exercise if you’re tired, which can lead to weight gain. Consistent bedtimes and wake-up times can help people get back into healthier habits. This allows you to enjoy longer, better quality sleep each night, which will help keep your hunger hormones in balance. Not only that, but you’ll be more inclined to exercise regularly because you have more energy.
6. Make savvy food substitutions
Smart food swaps are an easy way to incorporate healthier eating patterns into your everyday life in the long run.
Take Cauliflower Pizza Power: Swap traditional mashed potatoes for root vegetable mash and regular pizza for cauliflower pizza. If mashed potatoes are your favorite comfort food, it might be time to reconsider, potatoes have a high glycemic index (GI), especially when mashed, which means they release sugar quickly. This can lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar. Then, make you feel lethargic and inefficient. Swapping out your favorite mashed potatoes for low-GI options made with sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, or Swedish can provide even more nutrition. It helps stabilize blood sugar. This will also provide you with a wider variety of vegetables in your diet and provide you with a wider range of nutrients and more stable energy. In addition to helping with weight loss, sweet potatoes and carrots are also excellent sources of beta-carotene. This is an antioxidant that the body converts into vitamin A to support healthy skin, immune health and vision.
Quinoa is a great alternative to high GI white rice, served with curries or peppers. While it may take more time to cook, it’s a complete source of protein — containing all nine essential amino acids — and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and you can also swap vegetable oils for olive oil for an extra boost of omega- 3 Intake, reduce calorie intake and replace flavored yogurt, which is often high in sugar, with natural yogurt.
7. Drink plenty of water
The benefits of water are well known but often forgotten — especially when it comes to weight loss. While we know water is essential for maintaining any level of focus and is good for our digestive system, a 2009 study found that drinking just half a liter of water 30 minutes before a meal can significantly reduce hunger. For the study participants, this meant they also ate less throughout the meal, as water suppressed appetite. Drinking more water throughout the day can also help you burn how many calories per day. Known as resting energy expenditure, we burn most of our daily calories through basic bodily functions. These activities include breathing, sitting, sleeping, and eating. While it naturally won’t make a huge difference, drinking water does increase the amount of calories you burn throughout the day.
8. Try to eat at specific times
The concept of intermittent fasting is famous and has been debated time and time again for its positive and negative meaning. The principle of targeted eating is basically to limit your daily intake of anything that contains calories to 12 hours or less. People typically use a so-called “eating window” of 8 to 10 hours. So maybe they start their first meal at 9am. They had their last meal at 7pm. Then outside that time, they only drink water and herbal tea. When people do this, they tend to eat less. They lost a little weight, and their blood pressure and fasting blood sugar levels dropped slightly.
9. Focus on eating
The environment in which we eat and drink strongly influences our eating behavior, as people who are found to be distracted while eating tend to eat 10% more in a single sitting. In addition to affecting eating habits at the dinner table, people who are distracted while eating tend to eat more. Another 2013 study found that people who were distracted during meals consumed 25 percent more calories at mealtimes than those who concentrated on eating.
10. Avoid stress
Over the years, many studies have shown that stress has adverse effects on our health. It affects everything from our ability to breathe to brain function, muscle growth and everything in between. It also allows people to maintain any unwanted weight they have and gain weight as well.
A 2015 study showed that the body has a slower metabolism under stress. This means that when we are stressed, we burn fewer calories each day through our daily activities. The study looked at female participants who recorded stressful events over a 24-hour period and how many calories they burned. The study compared them to women who were not stressed. They found that stressed women consumed 104 fewer calories a day. Not only that, but stressed women also had higher levels of insulin in their bodies. This increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It has also been shown to reduce life expectancy over time. Over the course of a year, an extra 104 calories per day can add up to 4kg per year.
Post time: May-11-2022