10 Easy Ways to Lose Weight Without Exercise

When it comes to weight loss, a healthy diet is the most important aspect. By making small changes to your lifestyle and eating habits, weight loss doesn’t have to be an unhealthy obsession! Here are 10 easy, low-maintenance, and effective ways to lose weight without exercise.

Go to bed earlier.

Studies show that when you are sleepy you have a bigger appetite. When tired or sleep deprived you produce more ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates your appetite.

When the sun sets, dim your lights or avoid looking at your phone. The blue light will keep you awake for longer. By dimming the lights earlier your body will start producing melatonin — the sleepy hormone. This should help you fall asleep easier.

Take your coffee black or skip the sugars in your tea.

Coffee and tea are consumed by most people regularly. Instead of adding calorie filled additives like sugar, cream, or sweeteners, maybe consider using non-dairy milk or semi-skimmed milk and cut out the sugars.

According to a study in the journal Public Health, taking your coffee black can save you nearly 500 calories a week, as 60 percent of those calories come from sugar. Leaving out the sugar is an easy way to save on your daily calorie intake.

Drink lots of water.

Sometimes when you feel your tummy grumble it is not because you are hungry, but thirsty instead. The same part of our brain controls our thirst and hunger and can sometimes mix up the signals.

If you keep a water bottle on hand and sip all day you will be less inclined to snack or feel pangs of hunger.

Buy only healthy snacks to keep in the house and take with you on the go.

If you are hungry, don’t wait until your next meal when you are starving. Eat a healthy snack and this will help you to eat smaller portions at dinner or lunchtime. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity show that those who end up going a long time without eating anything are more likely to consume more calories during their next meal.

The reason behind this is that when you’re hungry, your body automatically switches to starving mode and stores the fat. It will increase your hunger hormones and leave you starving for your next meal.

Snacks like low sugar granola bars, fruit, raw vegetables, and spiced roasted chickpeas are great at keeping your hunger at bay on the go. This will help you to not grab fast food if you are starving and on-the-go.

Keep chopped fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge.

Arrange your healthy snacks such as sliced fruit and vegetables, hummus, olives, and protein-rich foods to the front of your fridge and on the middle shelf. If these snacks are pre-prepared and on your eye-line, you will be more likely to grab them!

Have at least one meatless meal a day.

To lose weight without exercise, you will need to be in a calorie deficit and cutting out meat from one meal a day will help you to keep under the calorie threshold. Researchers have found that those who eat a vegetarian high protein meal consume 12 percent fewer calories than those who consume meat. High-protein plant-based products are foods such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, tofu, and tempeh.

Cut out sugary foods.

Drinking fizzy drinks and eating sugary foods leave you feeling hungrier. Making an effort to cut out sugary beverages, processed baked goods, and treats will help you stay under a calorie deficit.

Cutting out sugar can be hard as it is so addictive. If you have a sugar craving, reach out for high percentage dark chocolate or fruit. A great healthy sweet treat is banana ice cream. Just freeze some peeled bananas and put them in a blender with a dash of milk and some chocolate powder and you have yourself a healthy creamy treat.

Eat more protein-rich foods.

Eating protein-rich foods will help keep you fuller for longer. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eating a protein-packed breakfast will help manage your appetite through the day. Foods like eggs, chickpeas, or a protein shake will keep you full until lunchtime.

Reduce the size of your plate or bowl.

It’s natural to fill up your plate! Instead of using a plate that is 12 inches wide, try to stick to smaller plates that are around nine or 10 inches. That way it will give you the appearance that you have a full plate but with less piled on! Cornell University researcher Brain Wansink, PhD, says that you can cut about 23 percent off the amount you serve yourself. “It’s a mindlessly easy way to cut things down.” This is an easy way to control your portion sizes and lose weight.

Mind your TV habits.

Studies have shown that watching television makes you more likely to overeat and grab unhealthy foods. Researchers have found that people snacking while watching a 20-minute show consumed 156 calories. Try to get up and move during the commercial breaks or have a big glass of water and some healthy snacks such as vegetables, low-sugar cereal, or frozen grapes to pick on when you sit down to watch your favorite show.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, Yours.