How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

 Source: How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

Losing weight takes a lot of sweat and discipline, but even when you're not powering through a treadmill interval workout or counting calories, there are a lot of simpler ways to see those pounds drop on the scale. Employing these 10 little tricks daily will help you lose weight, no gym or diet required.

• Always start a meal with a glass of water: You'll stay hydrated and feel fuller instantly, which can help you from overeating.
• Make a few simple swaps at every meal: Going for a vinaigrette dressing instead of a Green Goddess dressing at lunch can save you 80 calories, while opting for fresh fruit instead of dried can save you dozens as well. Get a list of simple swaps to save calories here.
• Have a piece of dark chocolate for dessert: Instead of opting for the cookies in the break room, quiet your sugar cravings with a piece of dark chocolate. It may not feel quite as satisfying the first few times, but as you wean yourself off your sugar addiction, you'll be glad you're saving calories while having a healthy yet decadent treat.
• Be diligent with portion control: If you want to lose weight, sticking to the right portions at every meal is important. Measure out snacks beforehand instead of eating from the bag, use smaller plates to visually signal that your meal will satisfy, and put away leftovers, so you're not tempted to go back for seconds.
• Move more: Even if you're not dedicating an entire chunk of time to a workout, you can burn a few extra calories by making an effort to move a little more during the day. Taking breaks to walk around the office, opting for the stairs instead of the escalator, and parking a little farther from the office entrance are all simple ways to up your calorie burn.
• Don't drink your calories: It's a common reason why you're not seeing results - those empty calories from a daily soda, morning juice, or large glass of wine at dinner can really add up. Stick to water flavored with a fresh ingredients like cucumber, lemon, or mint in order to save on important calories.
• Don't go hungry too long: A little hunger can be good for you, but starving yourself all day in order to "splurge" on dessert at night is both unhealthy and diet sabotage. Eat well-timed meals and snacks in order to avoid low blood sugar levels that cause you to crash.
• Snack on high-protein, high-fiber foods: When it's time to snack, make your food work for you. Steer clear of the empty, high-calorie options like chips and crackers, and go for protein- and fiber-rich foods that taste good and fill you up too. You'll be able to eat fewer calories while still feeling satisfied. One of these 150-calorie snacks will surely hit the spot.
• Eat a light, early dinner. Try to keep your dinner to about 25 percent of your daily calories, and have it at least two to three hours before going to bed. Eating too much too late can cause digestion and sleep issues that make it hard to stick to a healthy routine.
• Get more sleep. Lack of sleep can cause you to eat more throughout the day and not have enough energy for your workouts, so aim for at least seven hours of sleep every night. It's an easy and effective way to keep your weight-loss goals on the right track.

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

You know the drill when it comes to losing weight -- take in fewer calories, burn more calories. But you also know that most diets and quick weight-loss plans have about as much substance as a politician's campaign pledges. Here are more than 50 easy ways for you to finally lose the weight.

If you’re trying to drop a few pounds, don’t start off by trying to overhaul all your eating and exercise habits. You’re better off finding several simple things you can do on a daily basis—along with following the cardinal rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activity. Together, they should send the scale numbers in the right direction: down.

1. Indulge in fat releasing foods. They should help keep you from feeling deprived and binging on higher-calorie foods. For instance:

• Honey. Just 64 fat releasing calories in one tablespoon. Drizzle on fresh fruit.
• Eggs. Just 70 calories in one hard-boiled egg, loaded with fat releasing protein. Sprinkle with chives for an even more elegant treat.
• Part-skim ricotta cheese. Just 39 calories in one ounce of this food, packed with fat releasing calcium. Dollop over a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.
• Dark chocolate. About 168 calories in a one-ounce square, but it’s packed with fat releasing fiber.
• Shrimp. Just 60 calories in 12 large.
• MORE: 13 fat releasing foods »

2. Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown. Make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa, suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad.

3. After breakfast, make water your primary drink. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That’s nearly 90,000 calories a year — or 25 pounds! And research shows that despite the calories, sugary drinks don’t trigger a sense of fullness the way that food does.

4. Carry a palm-size notebook everywhere you go for one week. Write down every single morsel that enters your lips—even water. Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don’t.

5. Buy a pedometer, clip it to your belt, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day. On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight; adding more than that will help you lose weight.

6. Add 10 percent to the amount of daily calories you think you’re eating, then adjust your eating habits accordingly. If you think you’re consuming 1,700 calories a day and don’t understand why you’re not losing weight, add another 170 calories to your guesstimate. Chances are, the new number is more accurate.

7. Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 30 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast. Other studies show that even if you eat the same number of calories distributed this way, your body releases less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps control hunger.

8. Walk for 45 minutes a day. The reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.

9. Find an online weight-loss buddy. A University of Vermont study found that online weight-loss buddies help you keep the weight off. The researchers followed volunteers for 18 months. Those assigned to an Internet-based weight maintenance program sustained their weight loss better than those who met face-to-face in a support group.

10. Bring the color blue into your life more often. There’s a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.