6 Easy Ways to Lose Weight Without Trying (No Diet or Exercise)

Sometimes there are lifestyle changes you know you need to make, but either there’s not enough time or motivation. And other times you work on it so hard that it leaves you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. I’ve personally been there so many times.

But there are so many healthy habits or simple behavioral and lifestyle changes you can make that’ll help you achieve your goals.

Because yes, you can lose weight without diet or exercise. Going on a weight loss journey doesn’t require you to be hitting the gym for an hour or doing an intense calorie deficit.

It just means finding small ways to take care of yourself so that you can start seeing results.

1. Mindless Eating Changes

Probably one of the easiest ways to lose weight without exercise is just making mindless changes around eating. You’re not creating a full on healthy meal plan, you’re just changing some eating habits.

Here are a few mindless eating changes you can start:

• Start using smaller plates and bowls: You tend to eat less (without even noticing) when your portion size looks “full” on a small dish. So if you want to regularly have a lower calorie intake, then this is the move.
• Pre-portion your snacks: Instead of eating from a bag, just pour out a small serving into a bowl. This helps you to do less mindless snacking and do proper portion control.
• Keep any tempting foods out of sight: What’s at eye-level in your fridge really does matter. So instead of keeping sodas or other snacks on the first two shelves, put fresh fruit or prepped veggies up front.
• Eating Without Distractions: It’s so easy to eat more than you realize when you’re on your phone or watching something. So keep your focus on the meal until it’s finished.

2. Do Subtle Food Swaps

If you don’t want to commit to a completely new diet, then doing subtle food swaps is the simple lifestyle change to make.

Here are a few you can try:

• Switch out sodas and other sugary drinks for sparkling (or infused) water and tea: It keeps you hydrated and cuts out the liquid calories without feeling like a huge sacrifice.
• Go for high-protein snacks: So think Greek yogurt, boiled eggs, nuts, or nut butters with fruit to keep you fuller so you naturally eat less over the course of the day.
• Fiber first: Adding a side salad, eating veggie sticks, or enjoying an apple before meals can help to reduce your overall calorie intake and promote weight loss.

3. Environmental Hacks

This might just be my favorite advice when it comes to learning how to lose weight without exercise. I just really love how these ideas are using human psychology when it comes to eating smaller portion sizes and losing weight.

Here are a few environmental hacks you can try:

• Serve from the kitchen, not your table: You’re a lot more likely to eat less if you portion out your food in the kitchen and then bring it to the table.
• Dim the lights and play some soft music: You might actually eat more slowly (and less overall) in a relaxed setting.
• Batch-prep your healthy snacks: When the easy option is also a healthy one, it feels pretty effortless.
• Use tall, slim glasses over short, wide glasses: A study showed that people drank less when using tall, slim glasses but didn’t feel like they were.

4. Start Adopting Small Healthy Habits

There are so many simple healthy habits you can adopt into your lifestyle. You don’t need to go walking for an hour or cut out every single high calorie food in order to start losing weight. Sometimes it’s the small things that get you started on big changes.

Here are a few healthy habits you can start this week:

• Prioritize your sleep: Studies show that if you’re already on a calorie restriction, sleep helps you to burn even more fat. So make sure you have a good evening routine in place so that you can sleep well and lose more weight.
• Eat slower: According to Dr. Albers from Cleveland Clinic, it can take up to 30 minutes for your brain to realize you’re full. So make sure to slow down so you’re not overstuffing yourself.
• Use the half rule: If you’re eating out, ask for a to-go container when the food arrives (or even before). That way you can put half of it into the container and eat the rest at the restaurant. This is honestly so helpful since restaurant food tends to be huge and high-calorie.

5. Built-In Movement

If you want to lose weight without exercising, but you also want to become more active, then here are a few simple ways you can do that:

• Stand or pace when you’re on calls: It can add up to hundreds of burned calories overtime (with zero gym effort).
• Park farther away or take the stairs: Find tiny swaps that don’t feel like a full on workout but increase your daily burn.
• Micro-break stretches: Every 30 minutes, stand up, stretch, or walk over to refill your water. It’s a great way to gently boost your activity.

6. Cut Out the Stress

It was shown in a study that women who participated in said study burned 104 fewer calories than the women who weren’t dealing with stress.

And even a 2013 study stated that, “Repeated bouts of minor daily stressors that keep the stress system in a chronically activated state may alter brain reward/motivation pathways involved in wanting and seeking hyperpalatable foods and induce metabolic changes that promote weight and body fat mass.”

So find ways to cut down or avoid stress all together.

So for instance, if there are certain people in your daily or weekly life that are causing you stress, create boundaries, get help, or cut them out.

Or if there are time constraints that are stressing you out, then do a schedule audit. Are there ways you can finish a task faster, cut down on scrolling, or even things you should be saying no to?

Look for all the things that are hurting your peace and learn how to manage your stress so that you can take better care of your health.

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