18 Effective Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting

Reviewed by: | Author: Manoja Kalakanti

How do you lose weight, and that too without dieting? The thought of dieting makes us feel grumpy, depressed and plain awful! Dieting has deprivation written all over it. You hardly have the energy to do your workouts, let alone kill it. The thought of socializing takes the wind out of our sails! Imagine eating salads while your friends are chowing down juicy burgers! Wish you could find a way to lose weight, without thinking about it. Wish there were no-diet tricks that work wonders on your waistline and make you smile every time you step on a scale. Surprisingly, it is possible to achieve that near-impossible feat. Let’s go through the easy-to-follow tricks to slim down fast!

Effective Ways to Lose Weight without Dieting

18 Nutritionist- Backed Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

First things first, no crash-dieting, and no more giving up your favorite foods! Sounds good? Well, now that we have you on board, we will list out the best way to lose weight. A few tweaks around your diet is all you need to saunter towards your weight loss goals. Got some time on your hands? Good! Then read on.

Hydration

  1. Make water your best buddy

You’ve heard this before and you are going to hear it again, water does the trick! We have a slogan around our office for it, hydrate before you eat! Yes, those hunger pangs are not real, drink a glass of water instead and see if those sudden hunger pangs are real hunger or if they are just an excuse for you to hunt the pantry down for some sinful junk. Water does umpteen good things to your metabolism, especially cold water as your body works doubly hard to warm it. Also, make sure you keep yourself hydrated before you hit those dumbbells. This spells good news for your strength goals and for your metabolism.

Sleeping

  1. Sleeping is love

When a celebrity known for fitness was asked the question, what the secret to her amazing fitness levels was, she said “I sleep for 7 hours every night”. We just stopped ourselves from spelling it out, “Yeah, right”. But you know what? Science agrees with her. A good 7-8 hours of sleep is one of the best ways to lose weight fast. There is no rocket science about this, we just tend to eat more when we are sleep-deprived. Studies confirm that people who managed only 4 hours of sleep every night eat 300 calories more than people who slept for more than 6 hours. Try this; it is touted as one of the simplest ways to lose weight.

Chew your food slowly

  1. Chew more lose more

Chew your food slowly, as it takes a couple of minutes for your brain to realize that you are full. So if you go on a mindless munching mayhem, you will lose out on the plot altogether. It is a simple way to keep a tab on the calories without counting them. So, when you chew slowly, you are more mindful of the amount you are eating and you end up eating a lot less than you otherwise would. It is a diet trick that works every time. According to Ayurveda, you need to chew your food at least 32 times, this will help you digest the food better.

 

  1. No, don’t skip your breakfast

Skipping breakfast is a complete no-no. You may think that it is one way of skimping on your calorie intake. Actually, you just end up eating more. It’s human instinct, if you are ravenously hungry, you eat the first thing you lay your eyes upon. Your calorie meter then keeps hurtling along without stopping. Have your breakfast, within an hour of waking up. This will help keep your blood sugar stabilized and you won’t resort to yo-yo eating. Fuel your body with a powerhouse breakfast, something that includes quality protein, good fats, and whole grains.

Cheat meal

  1. An ‘I earned it’ day

Enjoy a day off from your regular eating routine. This will help you sort out your metabolism and avoid a weight loss plateau. Although, you shouldn’t go overboard on the calorie count. As they say, if you have got a lot of weight to lose, it is best to have a cheat meal instead of going all-out and turning it into a cheat day. Eat one cheat meal of your choice and enjoy it to the most. Don’t feel guilty that you are cheating on your healthy eating routine. Also, ‘cheat’ day has sort of a negative ring to it, how about calling it an ‘I earned it’ day? Yes, you deserve to eat your favorite meal one day of the week, after sticking to a regimented eating schedule for the rest of the week.

  1. Let protein be your bae

Eat protein with every meal. Protein keeps you satiated, and the fuller you are, the less likely you are to cheat. Foods such as full-fat yogurt, nuts, lean meats, eggs, beans, peanut butter are great options for you to explore. Take care of the 4 pm slot as well. This is the time when you are most likely to go berserk and answer to the tempting calls of brownies and samosas! I for one make it a point to eat something protein-rich at around 4 pm, and this keeps me full till dinner.

Dinner Timing

  1. Dinner before 7:30 pm

One of the most effective ways to lose weight is finishing your dinner by 7-7:30 pm. Sleeping on a heavy stomach will make you pile on the pounds in all the wrong areas. Have a protein-rich dinner and snub off the irrational hunger pangs. If you do feel hungry, then brush your teeth or have something nutritious without the additional calories, such as ‘haldi doodh’, or turmeric-spiced warm milk. This powerful drink will help you sleep and hence help you lose weight as well. Refer to point 2.

pedometer

  1. Get a pedometer

Counting your steps sounds like a good idea as it adds more movement to your daily scheme of things. Otherwise, we are all happy sitting put in one place, typing away furiously. A pedometer will hold you accountable and you will have to get up from time to time to sneak in more steps. As for a sedentary job, get yourself a standing desk, this helps you stay active and nullify the negative points of sitting.

Beat stress

  1. Beat stress

Yes, stress is a contributing factor towards weight gain, we worry too much! We would rather indulge in frowning and creased foreheads than bursts of unadulterated laughter. When is the last time you threw caution to the wind and took solace in belly laughs? Laughter is not only the best medicine, but it is also one of the best ways to beat the hell out of stress. Okay, there are other ways to beat stress, meditating is one of them. Yes, we know it’s tough to sit on one place and meditate away. But you can start somewhere, with at least 10 minutes a day and gradually clock in more hours.

favorite workout

  1. Time for your favorite workout

It is said that you are more likely to stick to a workout if you like it. So what if you don’t like to lift heavy, there are other workouts you can try which are sometimes as effective. There are just so many exercises to explore. Yoga, cross fit, pilates, running, and so on. Research says you have to exercise for 200 minutes each week, @40minutes daily 5 days per week. Now, you can try and incorporate your favorite workouts accordingly, but remember walking is more of a movement than a workout. So, if you just go for a leisurely walk for 40 minutes, it won’t count as exercise. Try and make your exercise intensive as much as possible. For that 40 minutes you devote to exercise, give it your all.

Rich in Fiber

  1. Add more fiber-rich foods

Eat more fiber, as it increases your satiety, and keeps you full for longer. The particular kind of fiber that works big time is viscous fiber; this type of fiber aids in weight loss. Once you start eating foods with high satiety levels, it will stop you from eating more. Viscous fiber turns into a gel when it comes in contact with water. This gel takes a long time to absorb the nutrients and hence takes time in emptying the stomach.

Viscous fiber is available in plant-based foods. There are foods such as oats, beans, asparagus Brussels sprouts, oranges, and flax seeds.

  1. Stop using electronic distractions as a crutch

Pay more attention to what you eat, this will stop you from eating more calories. There are many people who sit down to eat but pay more attention to their gadgets, such as mobile phones, computer games, TV and so on. This way they end up eating far more than they should. This holds true not only when you are eating but also for your future meals. You crave more food because you did not concentrate enough on your previous meal. When you end up eating more, you unintentionally keep the calorie meter ticking and with additional calories come extra pounds.

  1. Eliminate Sugary Drinks

Yes, you are not having sugar in your daily beverages, but are you avoiding the sugary drinks that are spiked with copious amounts of sugar? Added sugar is the worst ingredient to add to your diet, especially when you are on a weight loss journey. Sugary beverages spike your blood sugar and lead to the onset of a host of chronic diseases.

Also, you don’t think too much before consuming liquid calories and the worst part is, you drink the calories and don’t feel you have eaten something substantial. So, these come down to additional calories. Simple, you don’t feel full, so you eat more!

The bottom line is, stay away from these sugary drinks, your health will thank you. When we say sugary drinks, we also mean fruit juices, which are notorious for their high sugar content. Stick to beverages where you can control the sugar content such as water, green tea, and coffee; healthy drinks that satiate your caffeine cravings.

Fat food

  1. Adieu low fat

Low-fat products are not necessarily good for you, more often than not other ingredients are added to these products to compensate for the lack of taste, like sugar. There is a study on low-fat products which is rather alarming. The more low-fat products you have, the higher your risk of diabetes. High-fat products, such as dairy, on the other hand, lower the risk of diabetes. Add more high-quality fats to your diet. This will help curb your cravings and add the right amount of nutrients to your diet.

  1. Add more nuts

This is one weight loss food I love! They are a source of wholesome nutrition and they pack it in plenty! Protein, healthy fat, and fiber, you name it and they have it; and they help you put a lid on all cravings. Also, they are versatile and convenient. You can add them to any food and they will taste awesome. Blend them with your oatmeal or your salad; either way, they taste good and up the nutrition quotient of your food, adding a tasty crunch to your meals.

Food Plate

  1. Plate your food

How many times it has been that you sat watching your favorite Netflix show and before you knew it, finished an entire bag of chips? Eating from a bag does that to you, you lose control of the portion size and you binge and regret later! Stop eating directly from a packet or bag, instead serve it on a plate and check your portion sizes. Also, sitting down to a meal gives you more satiety, so no more rushing out a sandwich in hand to catch your pool car. Serve yourself the food, eat every morsel with satisfaction and enjoy your food. There, how difficult is it?

Eat more veggies

  1. Eat more veggies

If you ask me what is the best way to lose weight, I’ll say load your food with veggies. They are low-calorie and filled with healthy satiating nutrients. They are versatile so you can add them to eggs, smoothies, soups; all kinds of main and side dishes, they add volume and keep the nutrition quotient value high. If there is one thing that you need to eat more, then have more veggies.

  1. Clean your house

Eliminate processed junk from your kitchen; if there is one thing that leads to sustainable weight loss, it is cooking from the scratch and not eating processed foods. They contain a lot of additives and chemicals that disrupt your normal hormone levels, leading to weight gain and finally to chronic diseases. This is one of the best weight loss tips, ever! So, au revoir junk and hello clean healthy food!

Let’s make a clean-eating pact, we will stick to these rules, no matter what and only give way to temptations once in a while. We will sleep right, exercise, meditate and just be happy. Happiness is the new drug that can upstage all OTC pills. Yes, it holds stress by the scruff of its neck and squeezes it tight, leaving no breathing space for it to survive. So, stay stress-free, smile and lose oodles of weight. Good Luck!

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