I am sure that you smiled when you read the “lose weight without exercise” description in the above title. All diets require some sort of exercise, right? While exercise definitely speeds up the weight loss process, and it is important to ongoing health and vitality, there are things you can do to help you lose the weight you want that don’t revolve around exercise (albeit at a slower rate).
Here are 10 fast ways to lose weight that do not require you to lift a finger. So let’s get started!
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It’s all about the math
It’s time to count those calories, ladies and gents. If you are not sure how many calories per day you should consume in order to lose weight fast, there are several handy calculators available online that will figure things out for you. These are a couple of my favorites:
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Fasting is faster
Let’s up the stakes a little and reduce even more of those calories. The way to go is a fasting diet plan, probably the most popular way to lose weight fast in the past few years. Fasting means reducing your daily calorie intake to 500 calories for women / 600 calories for men, but not every day. There are two fasting diet plans you can opt for:
- Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) – choosing this plan means fasting every other day, for at least a month or until you have reached your desired weight. This may be the fastest way to lose weight without exercise, with up to 2 pounds a week weight loss.
- Intermittent Fasting (IF) comes with two options of its own:
- the 5:2 diet – this popular intermittent fasting diet plan implies eating normally for 5 days and fasting or calorie restricting for 2 days a week.
- the 16:8 diet – this diet means not eating any solid foods for 16 hours a day while eating normally for the remaining 8 hours.
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Water is your friend
Drinking lots of water not only keeps you hydrated but also fills your empty stomach and dilutes gastric acid, causing you to eat less without feeling hungry. Drinking water is a way to lose weight fast in itself, but it is also vital during a fasting diet plan or any other kind of diet. It is obvious that choosing water over a beverage with calories helps you maintain lower consumed calories each day. Drink a glass of water when you wake up and before every meal to help with dehydration and decrease your hunger. If you wait ten minutes before eating anything you will notice a difference to how hungry you thought you were and will most likely consume less. I know you will feel the difference.
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A journal is a great critic that keeps you on track
Writing down or taking photos of every meal in your day makes you conscious about the choices that you make and the eating habits that you need to change. WebMD offers you a printable version of their Food and Fitness Journal, and several free apps are available for your phone. Here is my top 4:
- Lose It! – Weight Loss Program and Calorie Counter
- Spark People Calorie Counter and Weight Loss App
- My Fitness Pal Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker
- Fat Secret Calorie Counter
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The more the merrier
A weight loss buddy is a person who joins you on your journey towards a slim waistline. Having a diet buddy, either in person or online, is a great way to keep you motivated to lose weight fast. You always have someone to give you a pat on the back when you have lost one more pound, or a shoulder to cry on through those rough patches. More importantly, a committed buddy will not let you give up on your diet plan.
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Your stomach has no teeth
Remember when your mum used to tell you “Chew your food!” Well, it turns out she was right. Taking small bites and chewing them thoroughly, that is 5 to 10 times for soft foods and up to 30 times for denser foods like meat, gives you more time to enjoy your food. Your stomach relaxes and you absorb more nutrients from your food. The longer you chew, the longer it takes you to finish a meal. This will turn out to be very helpful during those fasting days in your diet plan. It takes up to 20 minutes for the brain to signal the stomach that you’re full, so give it all the time it needs.
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Fruits are meant to be eaten, not sipped through a straw
Consuming fruits is one of the best-known ways to lose weight fast, and fruits are present in every diet known to mankind. Eat lots of fruit, in all shapes and colors, but really eat them, don’t just consume them by drinking fruit juice. If you were to eat three apples you would feel very full and would not be able to eat a full meal like dinner; whereas drinking the juice from three apples of the same size does nothing of the sort.
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Smell your food
Sniff your food before you put it in your mouth, take the time to savor the aroma of each ingredient, and you will eat less. It is not clear yet how your sense of smell can trick the brain into thinking that you are eating – studies are being conducted on it – but neurologists have come to the same conclusion: smelling your food makes you enjoy it more, and it can be a great way to lose weight fast.
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The toothbrush draws the curtains
Brushing your teeth after every meal, and especially after dinner, signals to your brain that there will be no more food for the day. The show’s over, folks!
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A tired brain is a hungry brain
We need, on average, 7.5 hours of sleep a day. If you sleep less than that, I’ve got bad news for you: you may not be able to commit to a diet. Sleep deprivation makes you crave junk food because your hunger hormones are unbalanced. A tired brain also makes bad decisions, so, by all means, don’t go shopping when you didn’t get enough sleep. You will end up filling your grocery bags with bad carbs and junk food. In short, sleeping more is a fast way to lose weight – not only will you lose weight without exercising, you’ll lose weight by sleeping hunger off. How great is that!
Physical activity is and will always be a major contributor to the healthiest and fastest way to lose weight, but for those who don’t have the time or the will to commit to a workout program, combining some or all of the tips above will help you lose weight without exercise. So don’t give up on yourself!