Losing weight is probably one of the biggest lifestyle challenges, as excess body fat is the single cause of numerous health-related issues including lifestyle disorders. But the combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise can make it practically possible. If you are patient enough, stick to a healthy diet, and do regular physical activities, you can slowly but surely get the best version of yourself.
But, again, is that really possible for everyone to follow a conventional diet and exercise plan? Perhaps, no! And if you are also one of them, we are here to help you!
Reducing your calorie intake can make a lot of difference if you want to lose some body fat. It can also help you to avoid gaining it back in the future. All you need to do is, to be honest, and determined with these easy and practically possible tips. Let’s discuss some amazing tips to lose as many as 15 pounds in the first month itself! Of course, without exercise!
Chew your food slowly and thoroughly
Your brain requires some time to analyze, how much food your body needs at a time. You should slow down your eating process by chewing slowly and thoroughly. It is associated with proper digestion as well as decreased intake of food. You will feel full after eating a smaller portion of food.
Also Read: Know All About The Easiest Food To Digest
If you have the habit of finishing your meals quickly, you may suffer from unhealthy weight gain sooner than later.
According to a recent review on 23 observational studies, fast eaters are more prone to weight gain than those who eat slowly and patiently. The prolonged habit of eating fast is sometimes responsible for obesity.
TIP: You can count how many times you chew or how much time you take in each bite. It will help you to reduce the speed and time you take to finish your meals.
Increase the amount of protein in your diet
Protein affects your appetite positively. Having enough protein in your diet will help you to feel fuller in quick time, reduce your hunger, and you will end up eating fewer calories.
This is because protein works on various hunger hormones including GLP-1 and ghrelin.
One study revealed that increasing the amount of protein from 15% to 30% calories helped people eat as many as 441 calories fewer than they normally eat. And they got rid of 11 pounds in 12 weeks!
If you take grain-based foods in your breakfast, you should consider changing it with meals that are rich in protein, such as eggs.
In another study, obese or overweight women who added eggs in their breakfasts ate much fewer calories in lunch, especially when compared with other women who preferred grain-based breakfast.
Besides, they were able to eat fewer calories throughout the day, as well as for the next 36 hours.
You can add protein-rich foods like fish, chicken breasts, lentils, Greek yogurt, almonds, and quinoa, etc. in your diet.
Use smaller plates for junk foods
The size of a typical food is increasing with time. And this trend has also caused an unhealthy increase in weight gain among a lot of people all over the world. Using a smaller plate is a good idea to avoid eating more than your body needs.
On the other hand, if you use a bigger plate, you will feel that the serving is smaller, and you will most probably crave for more.
So, here is an idea! Try serving unhealthy foods on smaller plates, and healthy foods in bigger ones!
Make unhealthy foods not-reachable for you
Keeping unhealthy foods easily accessible to you also increases your cravings and hunger for them, and you will unintentionally end up eating more. And this is also an indirect cause of weight gain.
According to a recent study, if high-calorie foods are easily accessible all the time, people are more likely to gain weight than those who keep unhealthy foods away from them.
It doesn’t matter, how tasty they are, keep unhealthy foods away from your reach. You can store them in cupboards or closets so that there are fewer chances for you to see them, and of course, you will be able to avoid them.
Keeping unhealthy foods easily visible can force you to have “unplanned and unnecessary snacks”. On the other hand, you can surely make healthy foods visible, so that you can munch on them whenever and wherever you want.
Drink plenty of water at regular intervals
Drinking water at regular intervals, especially before meals can be helpful to avoid overeating.
According to a study on adults, drinking about 17 ounces (half a liter) of water about 20-30 minutes before eating reduces hunger, and helps in taking lesser calories.
Participants who preferred drinking water before a meal were able to lose 44% more weight in 12 weeks than those who opted not to drink water.
If you can replace normal water with calorie-rich drinks like fruit juices, you may feel even better effects.
Increase fiber intake
Increasing your fiber intake can also help you reduce your hunger and feel fuller for long enough.
Various studies indicate that special fiber, especially the viscous one can be particularly helpful for weight loss. It reduces the intake of food by increasing the feeling of fullness. How? Viscous fiber is known for forming a gel when it gets in contact with water. This gel decreases the average time of nutrient absorption, and as a result, slows down the emptying process of the stomach.
Plant foods like oat cereals, beans, asparagus, flax seeds, oranges, and brussels sprouts, etc. are great sources of viscous fiber. So, you should add these plant foods in your diet to ensure proper intake of fiber, especially the viscous fiber.
Stay away from electronic devices while eating
Paying attention to what you are eating, and how you are eating is very important to control your calorie consumption.
People who eat while using their phones or watching television or playing games on PCs are likely to miss how they have eaten, and more importantly, how much they have eaten.
A review of 24 studies highlighted hat people who were habitual of eating with different types of distractions ended up eating 10% more than they should have eaten.
Additionally, these habits are responsible for causing absentmindedness. And absentmindedness during a meal is at risk of taking 25% more calories than those who eat with proper attention and presence of mind.
If you are habitual of watching television or using your phone, or working on your PC for that matter, you are unintentionally eating more, and eating unhealthily. And the regular add up of these extra calories can make a negative impact on your health.
So, give proper time and attention to your meals. Remember that you are not sitting on your dining table for always! And you are doing plenty of hard work, ultimately for eating well. Then, there is no point in eating your meals without proper attention.
Eliminate sugary items from your diet
Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in the diet, causing a lot of health-related problems.
Sugary beverages, especially soda can increase the risk of numerous diseases including diabetes and obesity. And consuming excessive sugar is one of the most common and at the same time, the easiest things to do these days. And liquid calories are not known for affecting the feeling of fullness as much as the solid foods do.
If you can eliminate the sugary beverages from your diet, you will surely feel the long-term effects. You can opt for some healthy alternatives like water, coffee, and green tea, etc.
Avoid stress and get proper sleep
Sleeping is one of the most ignored factors when it comes to dealing with lifestyle disorders like obesity. And healthy sleep is directly linked with your appetite as well as weight!
Improper sleep and disturbed sleep pattern tend to disturb your hormones ghrelin and leptin – both of which are known for regulating your sleep. Cortisol, another sleeping hormone gets elevated when you are stressed.
The fluctuation of these hormones can increase your cravings for unhealthy foods and can cause increased calorie intake. Prolonged sleep deprivation and stress can also be responsible for diseases like obesity and type-2 diabetes. So, it doesn’t matter, how tight your daily schedule is, never compromise with your sleep! Get proper, sound sleep, night out, and night in!
These simple and practically possible lifestyle changes can help you to get rid of those extra, unhealthy pounds. And these are not even linked with exercises and conventional diet plans.
All of these tips are effective, but we would advise not to try them all at once. Simply, sit back and analyze your daily life. What you are lacking, and what you are doing the wrong way. The ultimate goal of any of these tips is to bring discipline in your life. Believe us, that old-school way of living life, yes, which we learned from our grandparents is still the best way to lead a healthy life!
DISCLAIMER:
These are some important tips, focusing more on lifestyle changes than anything. We advise avoiding any shortcut for weight loss. If you don’t have enough time for physical exercise, do take care of your diet at least! Everybody is different, every “body” is different, and weight loss is not a joke at all! The writer or the website doesn’t take any kind of guarantee whatsoever.
References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-ways-to-lose-weight-without-diet-or-exercise#section12
