10 Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise

If you want to lose weight, there are two main ways to do it: diet and exercise, or neither. If you’re uncomfortable with either of these choices, there are plenty of other ways to reduce your weight that don’t involve anything more than moving around more during the day. Here are 10 proven ways to lose weight without diet or exercise.

10 Proven Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise

1) Track what you’re eating

You don’t have to limit yourself to one specific diet or exercise program—especially if you know you won’t stick with it. One easy trick that works for many people is keeping a food journal: Each day, write down everything you eat and drink, including hidden items like dressing. You may be surprised by what you learn about your eating habits. As an added bonus, tracking your daily food intake can also help prevent overeating in general and inspire more mindful eating practices.

2) Drink more water

Drinking a few extra glasses of water each day can help you lose weight. Aim for 64 ounces every day and make sure it's unsweetened. Water is zero calories, and it fills you up so you eat less. It also helps flush toxins from your body, which can cause weight gain. So fill up your water bottle and drink up!

 Make sure your water isn't too cold, as you may not enjoy drinking it. Staying hydrated may help you eat less, so don't feel like you have to do it all at once. If you are watching your calories and need more than 64 ounces of water per day, try these other ways to stay hydrated without drinking extra water: unsweetened iced tea, unsweetened coffee, club soda with a slice of lemon or lime (dilute 1 part seltzer with 2 parts water). You can also add lemon or lime slices to plain sparkling water for a fizzy low-calorie beverage.

3) Exercise in short bursts

When you exercise in short bursts, you'll burn fat more effectively. You may be tempted to spend a long time exercising each day because it feels like you're getting things done, but over-exercising can slow your metabolism. For example, if you walk briskly for 20 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes and repeat three times, your body will burn calories at a higher rate than if you had spent an hour walking at a slower pace. In one study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers compared two groups of people who performed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise for 12 weeks on stationary bikes.

 If you want to make exercise a regular part of your day but don't have time for long sessions, try performing high-intensity interval training. You can still get fit without spending hours at a gym by alternating between high-intensity exercises and periods of rest. In one study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers compared two groups of people who performed HIIT exercise for 12 weeks on stationary bikes. Both groups cycled four times per week, with one group cycling at 80 percent of their maximum heart rate and another group cycling at 95 percent. After 12 weeks, both groups increased their fitness level and saw improvements in their cholesterol levels. The HIIT group burned nearly twice as many calories during their workouts than those who exercised continuously at 50 percent intensity.

4) Reduce the amount of salt in your diet

Eating less salt can help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found that salt is a major factor in increasing blood pressure. However, it's also possible that having high blood pressure may lead people to eat more salt as a way of self-medicating; regardless, it's important to reduce your intake of sodium. Many popular commercial food products have large amounts of hidden sodium, so it's best to avoid them altogether and stick with natural foods instead.

 As an example, foods that are packaged, processed, and prepared at a restaurant have much higher levels of sodium than do homemade meals. Ordering your food without salt is a good idea as many restaurants usually add more than you need. If you make most of your own meals at home and cook with fresh ingredients instead of using pre-packaged products, you should be able to get by on less sodium while still getting plenty of flavors. It's also important to read nutrition labels carefully before buying packaged foods; many don't contain much real food anyway so they may not be worth your time if you're trying to lose weight.

Researchers have found that high-salt diets cause people to gain water weight because salt is a diuretic.

5) Cut out processed foods

A comprehensive study in 2010 involving a review of more than 35,000 people was able to conclude that processed foods can lead to obesity. Foods that have been made from scratch with whole ingredients can significantly reduce fat storage and help you lose weight. Processed foods are not only high in fat and sugar but are also very low in fiber. Keeping track of your intake for a week by writing down what you eat will help you see how much-processed food is consumed. Then make it a goal to gradually decrease that number over time while increasing your consumption of fresh produce and lean proteins. If at all possible switch processed foods for homemade versions; however, if making these items from scratch seems daunting start small by eliminating one processed food each week.

6) Count calories

To lose weight without changing your diet, keep a food journal. This technique may seem counterintuitive: wouldn’t it be easier to just eat whatever you want and not think about it? That’s kind of true. But there’s also strong evidence that simply being more aware of what you eat leads to better dietary choices, as well as helping us avoid overeating at buffets, during office parties, and when we're too tired to cook anything more elaborate than frozen waffles for dinner. To lose weight without changing your diet, keep a food journal. This technique may seem counterintuitive: wouldn’t it be easier to just eat whatever you want and not think about it? That’s kind of true.

 If you want to lose weight without changing your diet, keep a food journal. It’s simple: Every time you eat something, take a minute and write it down. This not only makes you more mindful of what you're eating but helps prevent mindless eating—when we eat without thinking about it. A study published in Appetite found that people who kept a daily food log felt fuller and ate fewer calories than those who didn't.

7) Sleep well

Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important, but most people don’t realize just how much of an impact it can have on their weight. Poor sleep habits are strongly linked with eating an unhealthy diet and sedentary behavior. It's been said that sleep improves your decision-making ability, so not getting enough rest can lead you to make poor food choices and avoid exercise—two things that tend to contribute to weight gain. When you get enough shut-eye, you'll have more energy for your workouts, which will help shed pounds faster than if you don't catch enough Zzzs.

Sleeping enough is also an important component of weight loss. When you're well-rested, you'll have more energy to work out and your body will be in a better position to process nutrients from your food, which are essential for weight loss. In addition, going without sleep can cause increased levels of ghrelin and decreased leptin levels, which increase your hunger. Eating when you're tired may cause you to make poor choices—such as choosing higher-calorie foods that won't help with weight loss—and may even lead you to snack mindlessly throughout the day.

8) Manage stress effectively

Everyone knows they should be eating better, but there’s a big difference between knowing you should do something and actually doing it. There are a few ways to jumpstart your new eating habits, however. Most importantly, find a way to measure your intake (i.e., calories) so that you can adjust as needed. This can be done in several ways: Use an app like MyFitnessPal or FitDay, use an online calorie calculator like BodyBuilding .com. Or start by simply keeping track of everything you eat for one day—that will give you an idea of how many calories and grams of fat, carbs, and protein you typically consume on a given day.

 Stress is a common cause of weight gain and often sets off binging. When you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol, a hormone that raises levels of sugar in your blood and increases your appetite. Cortisol also slows down metabolism, which makes it harder for you to burn calories. To combat stress-induced cravings, try taking up meditation. Several studies have shown that learning how to meditate reduces cortisol levels and can help people lose weight.

9) Start eating better now

Sitting for long periods of time increases your risk of becoming overweight. The average adult burns about 125 calories per hour of moderate physical activity, and more vigorous exercise can burn up to 450 calories an hour. If you sit at a desk all day, try standing while talking on the phone and take a five-minute walking break each hour. You’ll lose weight without dieting!

10) Move more throughout the day

It might sound counterintuitive, but walking around more throughout your day—while you’re at work and when you’re running errands—actually helps you burn more calories. Research suggests that fidgeting (like tapping your foot or pacing) burns up to 50 extra calories per day. All that movement adds up! Start with 5-minute increments a few times a day and build from there if you can handle it.

Sitting can be a huge contributor to weight gain since most of us spend far more time in our chairs than we do on our feet. A recent study found that people who sat for fewer than six hours per day were 41 percent less likely to become obese compared with those who sat for 12 hours per day. To keep your weight in check and increase your calorie burn, try adding in one more task that requires you to get up and move around.

Including these extra movements throughout your day will help you reach—and maintain—your goal weight.

Conclusion

These ten tips can be effective in reducing your weight without exercise. You don’t have to try a fad diet. Just focus on some of these simple changes and you can lose weight with ease. If you need some more advanced dieting tips, please read 10 Amazing Weight Loss Tips For Rapid Fat Loss. Take Action: Experiment with one new tip each week! Soon you’ll be on your way to healthy living, no matter what diet plan you choose.