Hello readers, If you’ve been looking for pointers that
actually work on losing weight without going to the gym, you won’t have
to look any further. Try incorporating as many as the below-listed
suggestions and you’ll be seeing results while your body will become
leaner and healthier.
1. Cut out sodas
In a weight loss fight, sodas are your
worst enemies. You don’t want to reduce your daily intake of sugary
drinks, but cut them out completely, with no regrets. Sodas are packed
with sugar and unnecessary calories. They don’t offer your body any
nutrients, so why would you want to consume them? Sugary drinks can
actually cause teeth problem and affect the digestive system. This
includes diet sodas that claim don’t have any sugar. As long as it’s
fizzy, it should stay on the shelf, and not end up in your shopping cart
2. Small plates
This is an incredibly simple trick that
will take you a long way. Instead of piling up a lot of food on a big
plate, use small serving plates, which will fit less food. This will
trick your brain into thinking you are eating a lot of food, signaling
your stomach that it’s receiving plenty. If you stick to this habit, you
will be able to start eating smaller food portions, which, in its turn,
will lead to you losing weight.
3. Avoid white carbs
You should say goodbye to rice, bread,
pasta, potatoes, cereal, and fried food combined with bread. They don’t
play nice with losing weight and, along with sodas, you should cut them
out of your diet for good. But don’t worry, there are plenty of
alternatives out there that will take care of your waistline. Feel free
to replace white rice with brown rice. This will taste amazing in
stir-fries with vegetables and as a side dish. Likewise, steer away from
regular pasta and find a whole grain type. This is easy to recognize
due to its brownish color. Pasta salads with spinach and avocado will
keep you full for longer. Combining fried foods with bread is another
big no-no. If you are craving bread, try to eat at most two slices of
brown bread in the morning, but never have them for dinner.
4. Water
There are some stories floating online
about people claiming they have shed a few pounds just by drinking more
water. While these are not entirely true, there is some truth to them.
When you deprive your body of water, it thinks it’s not going to get
enough liquids in the following days. As a consequence, it holds on to
whatever liquids you give it, storing it for the hard days ahead. This
is called water retention and it can make you look puffy, even giving
you baggy eyes. In order to avoid this, make sure you’re constantly
sipping on water, green teas and natural juices throughout the day. Use a
graduated water bottle in order to keep track of how much water you
actually drink. You might be tempted to say you drink 8 glasses of water
per day when, in fact, you’re barely downing 4 glasses.
5. No skipping meals
Just like your body thinks it’s not going
to receive any more water when you don’t drink enough liquids, it will
think it’s not going to receive enough food when you deprive it of
nutrients, so it will start storing fat. Skipping meals won’t make you
thinner faster, it will just confuse your body. It’s true that you
should eat enough to feed your body (the world famous two thousand
calories rule), but that doesn’t mean starving yourself. You should eat
several small meals throughout the day and snack smartly so that your
body has the necessary fuel to work properly and shed fat on its own
accord. Once you accustom your body to a fixed eating schedule, it will
work even better. Your stomach will be ready to digest the food at
specific hours and it will do a better job at breaking down all the
nutrients you are feeding it, transforming them into fuel.
6. Less salt
Most canned food and anything else that
comes in a bag is most likely packed with salt in order to increase its
shelf life. If you take the time to read the labels of chips, canned
beans, popcorn or pretzels, you’ll be amazed to see how much salt they
contain. Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you’re probably eating
more than you need already. Pay attention to the labels of the food you
buy and choose products that have little to no salt. Salt can actually
make you retain water, it can make you feel bloated, it can swell up
your feet and it can increase your blood pressure.
7. Sleep
You need a healthy organism if you want
to lose weight without exercising. And four to five hours of sleep
doesn’t help a body stay healthy and work efficiently. As a matter of
fact, you might as well be hitting the gym five times a week, but if
you’re not getting enough sleep, you won’t notice any changes in your
body. Sleep is one of the most important things for weight loss because
it controls your diet. Less sleep could make you hungrier, moodier and
more inclined to break your diet. What is more, lack of sleep can change
your fat cells, by making your body suffer from “metabolic grogginess”.
8. Food journal
This might sound trivial, but putting pen
to paper might be the best thing you’ll do for your weight loss
journey. It’s not easy to keep track of anything you eat in a day and
it’s easy to get tempted to eat a brownie or nibble on a chocolate bar.
Keeping a food journal will give you an inkling into what you are really
consuming and how this is affecting your body. Meal planning is even
better. If you have time, planning the meals for you whole week will
help you stay on track and keep you motivated. Tell your friends about
your plans, so you feel accountable and become less inclined to cheat.
However, don’t forget about rewarding yourself. It’s not fun to stick to
an austere schedule for whole weeks. Work hard, play hard!
9. Leave the car at home, take the stairs
Even if you don’t have enough time for
going to the gym, that’s no excuse for hopping on your car instead of
walking two blocks. It doesn’t matter if you have to run errands or go
grocery shopping. You can look at your food bags like they are
dumbbells. Transform your walk back home into a workout. Alternate
between brisk walking and don’t let anyone else carry those grocery
bags. Another pro-tip is forgetting all about elevators. Stairs are your
best friends when it comes to losing weight. Heels or no heels, take
the stairs daily and work those glutes.
10. Snack wisely
Pistachios, walnuts and almonds are
amazing to snack on between lunch and dinner, but you shouldn’t lose
calories count out of sight. Pistachios are caloric bombs, so you should
be really careful how much you eat in a sitting. Peruse the nutritional
info on any snack and make sure you don’t exceed your daily goal.
11. Realistic goals
Of course, we all want to eat healthy for
a day and wake up with a completely flat belly and toned abs the second
day. But you have to be realistic and acknowledge that it’s not going
to happen. Losing weight takes time. If you change your lifestyle and
choose healthy foods instead of junk food and sugary drinks, your body
will take care of its weight by itself. However, the process can’t and
shouldn’t be rushed. With these in mind, don’t set any unrealistic goals
for your body, otherwise you will be disappointed when you don’t lose
eight pounds in a week.
12. One day off
The last tip is to cut yourself some
slack. It’s not worth putting your whole energy into refraining from
eating a piece of cake or refraining from eating an entire pizza. As
long as you pay attention to proportions and try to consume 90% healthy,
wholesome foods, you can reserve the rest of 10% for going to town. A
day per week of indulging will help you blow some steam and make the
entire dieting idea more bearable. However, make sure you’re in control
and the day off doesn’t end up completely sabotaging your efforts. If
you’re not craving cheeseburgers or ice cream, it’s not worth risking
indulging just to find yourself in the other extreme once again.
