Lots of weight loss programs will market losing weight as easy as exercising every day and eating right. If you aren’t losing weight, you just might not be trying hard enough or tracking well enough. But in reality, it’s not that simple.
First off, many people might not have the hours to dedicate to working out that are required to lose weight. On top of that, exercising is of course great for your health but it isn’t always a guaranteed method for losing weight. In fact, exercise can often backfire for women especially if they are chronically stressed and their hormones have changed. Additionally, as women experience more and more stress along with hormone changes, losing weight becomes more difficult and the metabolism takes a toll.
But many women don’t know that, and even if they do, they don’t know what to do about it. As a result, they follow the common approach of “exercise more and eat less” which leaves them feeling hopeless and helpless while trying to get healthier.
It’s important to learn what it is that causes women over 45 to gain weight or struggle to lose it. The answer is hormonal imbalances. Because of these imbalances, the traditional approach of eating less and exercising more becomes nearly impossible for many women to lose weight and keep it off.
Luckily, there are several small lifestyle changes and habits to pick up that can help you start losing weight and seeing results, without spending hours in the gym every week. Here are a few safe ways to help you gradually lose weight over time.
How to Lose Weight Without Exercise By Changing Food Habits
Sure, extreme dieting and exercising might help you lose some weight right away, but it doesn’t help you keep it off. It isn’t a long-term solution by any means.
The problem is that most diets shock your body into losing weight at first but after that, the starvation sends it into famine mode. Basically, this means that your body is reacting to that caloric deficit as famine, and it reacts as it would if you were actually starving by causing your body to want to store more fat. As a result, most women who do lose weight, plateau, and gain back whatever they lost and often more. And then because your body is helping you prepare for the next “famine” it makes it even harder to lose the weight the next time you try.
So hopping from diet to diet isn’t going to help your body, but changing your thinking and habits that surround how you handle food will help.
@themetabolismreboot
Losing 20-45 lbs in 6 weeks doesn’t take exercise. #weightloss #nutritiontips #menopause #metabolism #over40 #exercise
Slow Down
When you eat, give your brain time to realize that you are full. It can take 20-25 minutes for your brain to be signaled that it’s’ full. Eating quickly results in potentially consuming more food than necessary because your brain hasn’t had a chance to catch up and receive the “full signal”. Taking your time to chew thoroughly and slowing down while you eat leads to increased fullness and decreased intake.
Pack in the Protein
Protein is not only important to our overall health, but it also helps reduce feelings of hunger. Protein makes you feel fuller faster, allowing you to eat less and reduce your overall intake. It also helps build and preserve muscle which is critical in keeping your metabolism working well.
Increasing protein in your diet is a great way to help you lose weight without consciously restricting intake. Try eating eggs for breakfast, eating a bit more protein at meals, or adding some extra protein as a snack when you feel you need something to help you feel more full throughout the day.
Portion Sizes
Portion sizes in the United States have grown ridiculously out of control.
When we buy or are served large portions, we are more likely to eat past full to avoid wasting the food. As a result, we overeat and start to gain weight.
But combining eating slower with smaller portion sizes helps you keep how much you’re eating in check without restricting your meals.
Pro Tip: Use a smaller plate. Larger plates make regular portion sizes seem tiny. Trick your brain by using a smaller plate and making the portion size look larger. You’ll feel like you’re eating more without actually doing it!
Pro Tip #2: Tell yourself you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want and as much of it as you want. And you have to truuly believe that. If you say you can’t have it your brain will do the opposite and want it. If you truly believe you can eat it but then make an active choice to not eat it or intentially put it off your brain won’t feel trapped thinking it can’t have it. So Instead of saying, “I can’t have that”, say, “I can have that, I am just choosing not to right now.” And then insert your why. So an example of bringing it all togther…. “I can have that, I am just choosing not to right now, because I want to imrpove my health to keep up with my kids.”
Can You Lose Weight Without Exercise by Changing what You Drink?
Liquids make up one of the major reasons why people gain weight. Drinks are just as much if not more to blame for rapid weight gain than anything else and can keep you from dropping the weight. Yes, it is extra calories which doesn’t help. But even diet sodas contribute to weight gain for different reasons than caloires or sugar.
So here are some tips to think about when it comes to your drinks:
Don’t drink your calories, particularly in the form of sugar or alcohol
Liquid calories don’t leave you feeling full like food will. Soda with lunch or a beer with dinner adds extra calories to your intake. Also, all that sugar or alcohol in one sitting actually signals to your body to store fat. The problem is the amount of sugar or alcohol consumed in a short period of time.
Now some say, “Well I’ll drink diet soda instead so I don’t get the sugar or calories. The problem is that when you’d drink diet soda because your brain is not getting calories it will want to get them later. So people who drink diet soda actually eat more than those who do not.
Also toxins get stored in fat cells.which there are many artificial ingredients found in soda and diet soda which then go to your fat cells.
Not only that, but the chemicals found in diet soda also disrupt your insulin receptors contributing to insulin resistance. Instead, try switching it up to something else! Purified Water is always best. Sparkling water is a great option with some squeezed fruit or slices and even the flavored ones are better than a soda.
Some ask about juice. If juice is freshly squeezed it has a lot of great benefits to and doesn’t contain all the harmful chemicals. However, it does add a lot of sugar and extra calories to your diet without helping you feel full. So it’s a good idea to drink juice in moderation.
Morning Coffee
As much as we depend on it, it might be time to rethink that sweet morning nectar called coffee. Don’t worry, we’re not telling you to give it up entirely!
In the era of fancy drinks bought at your local coffee shop drive-through, it’s easy to overdo the sugar and calories. Instead of picking up your morning Starbucks, consider making your coffee at home before heading to work. This not only saves your waistline but your wallet, too.
Coffee also actually gives you what some call fake energy. But in the end, can cause your body to struggle to make optimal energy on its own. So finding ways to improve your energy naturally will in the long run make it so coffee may not be needed to have energy. Drinking lemon water or a good electrolyte mix in the morning is something I’ve found gives me fat more energy than coffee. My favorite brand of electrolytes is from Redmond real salt.
Another tip is to consider switching to tea. Some flavors actually have health-boosting properties that can lower your blood sugar levels or suppress your appetite!
Cut Back on Alcohol
Alcohol is a tricky topic. Some say that in small amounts it can be good. Others say it isn’t. What is clear though, is it is easy to drink too much, leading to extra calories and sugar intake. Alcohol can also trigger your body to store fat, especially if your drink a lot at one time. It can also be quite inflammatory, which, for women over 40, is one of the major reasons why they gain weight.
Here are some ways to help if you do decide to drink alcohol. First, choose options that have less sugar and color additives. And then when you are drinking, try to limit how much you drink at one time. Which is the problem. It’s also helpful to drink lots of water to help your liver process the alcohol better. A good trick to drink less at a time and drink more is to sip a drink of water in between each drink you take.
Stay Hydrated
Did you know that the signs of dehydration are often mistaken for signs of hunger?
Drinking enough water throughout the day helps you avoid dehydration and therefore cut back on snacking. Additionally, drinking water right before a meal has also been known to help cut down on the consumption of calories.
To help you remember to drink through the day, carry a water bottle with you at all times. There are lots of fun options out there to encourage your water intake.
Pro Tip: For those that don’t like plain water, try adding some lemon to it. This adds not only flavor but a number of nutrients known to reduce stress and increase weight loss.
Lose Weight Without Exercise with the Metabolism Reboot
If you have tried diet after diet and still feel like you aren’t making progress, contact us today to learn how The Metabolism Reboot program can help you make a real change.
Learn about sustainable weight loss without extreme dieting or exercise with the Metabolism Reboot. We teach you how to reboot your metabolism to promote permanent weight loss! Schedule a call with us to learn how you can rebalance your hormones and reduce inflammation.
Losing 20-45 lbs in 6 weeks doesn’t take exercise. #weightloss #nutritiontips #menopause #metabolism #over40 #exercise♬ original sound – Jared McDonald