Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows just how hard it can be. While it can be fairly easy to pack on pounds, dropping them can be incredibly difficult.
People often recommend exercise as a way to lose weight. While there are a number of health benefits to working out, it won’t necessarily help you slim down. That’s because exercise doesn’t do anything to change the hormonal imbalances that often fuel weight gain – and make it hard to lose weight.
If you’re looking to lose weight without working out, you have come to the right place. Ideal You offers a safe, effective way to lose weight without slowing down your metabolism or making you go through grueling workouts. Below, we have outlined some of the best tips for losing weight without ever setting foot in a gym.
1. Rethink How You Eat
The first step towards weight loss is paying attention to your food. Make every meal an experience instead of just a task. When you are busy watching your favorite movie/show or playing games, eating gets pushed to the background and you do not realize how much you have eaten. Distraction makes you overeat. Whereas, when you pay attention to your food, your body becomes aware when you are actually full. Slow down, chew each morsel properly and enjoy your food.
2. Take Your Coffee Black
Over 50 percent of Americans drink coffee on a regular basis, and many of them use calorie-laden additives like sugar, flavored syrups, or cream in their beverage. As a result, rather than being a zero or five-calorie drink, the average calorie count of a cuppa joe skyrockets 1,280 percent, to 69 calories, according to a recent study published in the journal Public Health. Not only will taking your coffee black save you nearly 500 calories a week, but, since more than 60 percent of those calories come from sugar, you’ll also be lowering your risk of insulin resistance, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Leaving the sugar packets on the shelf is one of our easy ways to cut calories.
3. Carry a Water Bottle Everywhere
Did you know that 60 percent of the time we inappropriately respond to thirst by eating instead of drinking? So says a study in the journal Physiology & Behavior. Experts believe the mistake stems from the fact that the same part of our brain controls hunger and thirst, and sometimes it mixes up the signals. Not only will keeping a water bottle around help you respond to thirst correctly, but chugging water can help you feel full, keep your metabolism humming, and even help you debloat!
4. Eat More Protein
Protein reduces your hunger pangs and helps you feel full without piling on calories. Protein takes time to break down which means that you do not feel hungry soon after a meal. Add a tablespoon of chia seeds to your breakfast or have a cup of sprouts at lunch. This means that you can relish your bowl of dal without feeling guilty or affecting your waistline.
5. Drink Plenty Of Water
Many times, we confuse thirst for hunger. So make sure you stay hydrated, especially with the rising summer heat. Do not have carbonated or sugary drinks. Infused water is a great source of nutrients and helps keep you hydrated. You can also drink a glass of water before a meal to aid in weight loss. Sufficient water keeps you energetic and is necessary for all bodily functions.
6. Keep healthier food around
You’re ready for a snack and open up the pantry. You see chips, cookies, and other less nutritious options. It’s only natural to want to reach out and make those unhealthier choices. To help avoid this trap, stock your pantry with healthier snack options, keep the fridge filled with chopped veggies, and have a fruit bowl in plain view.
7. Eat without distractions
Think about the last few meals that you ate. Were you reading or watching something on a screen? Maybe driving and eating? It’s easy to eat too much if you’re not focused on what you’re eating. Put away the phone (or turn off the TV or whatever else distracts you) to enjoy each bite. Eating mindfully by chewing slowly is another way to focus on what you’re eating, so you’re truly aware of when you’re full, Katte says.
8. Sleep Well and Avoid Stress
When it comes to health, people often neglect sleep and stress. Both, in fact, have powerful effects on your appetite and weight. A lack of sleep may disrupt the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. Another hormone, cortisol, becomes elevated when you’re stressed.
When you’re sleep-deprived, your body often will signal that it’s hungrier. It also raises your level of cortisol, a stress-related hormone that triggers your body to hold on to fat.
9. Take a 15-minute walk after each meal
Keeping your physical activity at its peak on a regular basis is an effective way to lose belly fat. While exercising at any other time of the day is good for you, research has found that keeping yourself active after meals can do wonders for your body weight. One study found that walking briskly for 30 minutes just after a meal leads to more weight loss than waiting for one hour to walk after lunch/dinner. Surprisingly, researchers have discovered that a post-meal walk, as short as 15 minutes, can actually help you burn more calories. It also aids digestion and improves blood sugar levels.
How to Lose 20 Pounds as Fast as Possible
Losing weight is never an easy thing, no matter whether you are looking to lose just five pounds or more. This demands not only a lifestyle change but also may call for a lot of patience. What is even more difficult is to lose a whole 20 pounds in just two short weeks. One of the heaviest challenges is that losing so much weight in such a short time may be dangerous. Despite this, some people find themselves in an unusual circumstance where they have little option but to do this the hard way. Since we already know that it is possible, let’s take a look into how one might lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks.
How Much Can I Lose In 2 Weeks?
Is there a limit to the number of pounds a person can lose in 2 weeks? It is surprising that the amount of weight a person can lose in just 2 weeks without effort. It is truly possible to lose 20 pounds and more in just two weeks. If you have a lot of excess weight, losing only twenty pounds may seem doable. It will indeed be difficult and unhealthy if you have only a few extra pounds. Keep in mind that such a fast weight loss should only be happening under strict medical supervision by a doctor.
Best Ways To Lose 20 Pounds Fast
1. Reducing calories
It may sound like a no-brainer, but counting calories is one of the easiest and most effective ways to start losing weight fast. Weight loss occurs when you use more calories than you take in, either by reducing your intake or increasing your physical activity.
While cutting calories alone is generally not considered a sustainable way to lose weight, counting calories can be an effective weight-loss tool when paired with other diet and lifestyle modifications.
Keeping track of your calorie intake can increase your awareness of what you’re putting on your plate, giving you the knowledge you need to make healthier choices.
2. Eating more protein
Protein is one of the foods recommended especially for people who think about food all the time. Protein serves to help you feel full for a longer period. As a result, you won’t be eating extra calories because your food cravings will be reduced and result in helping you to reach your weight loss goals.
There is evidence that high protein diets lead to a decrease in belly fat while at the same time increasing muscle mass. It also results in higher metabolism during weight loss. Therefore, add to your protein intake, and it will definitely curb your appetite and cravings.
3. Avoid Refined Carbs
If you have chosen to adopt a healthy lifestyle, then baked foods shouldn’t be consumed on a regular basis.You should reduce the consumption of white pasta, white bread, and white rice if you are to lose 20 pounds in two weeks.
The reason for avoiding carbohydrates is because they spike your blood sugar. When the blood sugar is high, it tends to cause cravings that may lead you to eat more than you need which defeats the purpose of your weight loss plan. Furthermore, people who consume many refined carbs are at a higher risk of having more visceral fat than those who eat whole grains.
4. Managing stress
A study in Obesity Reviews concluded that the adverse effects of stress can influence weight gain and abdominal obesity. The research indicates that improving nutritional status and sleep can counteract some of the impacts of stress.
According to the authors, during stressful times, someone may have increased needs for individual nutrients, including B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.
Along with improving their nutrient intake and sleep, people can try meditation, mindfulness, and yoga for stress relief. If a person has severe stress or trauma, they should see their doctor or consult a psychological practitioner.
5. Ban Sugar, Junk Food, And Processed Foods
Eliminate all foods high in sugar, sodium, and those loaded with preservatives. Restock your kitchen with whole foods, and low-cal snacks like popcorn, fruits, and veggies. If you crave sweets, have low-cal yogurt with figs or peaches. You can also have one piece of dark chocolate (with 80% or more cocoa) after dinner.
6. Consume Healthy Fats
Healthy fats like fish oil, avocado, avocado oil, nuts, olive oil, and rice bran oil contain PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids). PUFAs help reduce inflammation in the body. This reduces the risk of inflammation-induced weight gain.
What You Can Eat and What You Can’t
For three days, you’ll eat extremely basic meals made with foods you may already have in your kitchen.
For example, breakfast on Day 1 is black coffee or water, half a grapefruit, and a slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Lunch is half a cup of tuna, another slice of toast, and another cup of black coffee (or tea or water).
If you’re looking for a variety of foodie thrills, you won’t find them here.
Lunch on Day 2, for instance, is nothing but a cup of cottage cheese, one hard-boiled egg, and some saltine crackers. Sauces, dressings, and even spices are off the list. If you have a sweet tooth, though, you’ll be happy to find vanilla ice cream on the menu each day.
Also read: Best Healthy Foods to Gain Weight Fast
Does It Allow for Dietary Restrictions or Preferences?
Vegetarians and vegans: This menu is not for vegetarians or vegans. It’s not low-salt, low-carb, or low-fat, either — just low-calorie.
Gluten-free: This diet includes toast and crackers, which traditionally include gluten in the wheat. You could buy gluten-free versions if you chose to, but going gluten-free is not a feature of this diet.
Also read: Best Nuts For Weight Loss: These 7 Nuts Can Help You Loss Weight