10 Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting
Let me start this off by saying, everybody is beautiful and every body is beautiful.
Your internal health does not necessarily reflect on your weight. There are many individuals that have a BMI on the higher end that are stronger and healthier than their lower BMI counterparts. And on the other hand, I have also read about award-winning body builders who die of heart attacks and who are metabolically inflexible.
Bottom line is that body type, size, and weight does not matter when it comes to internal health. Bodies change with age, childbirth, puberty, and everything else life throws at us and they can be strong in any form.
However, I know the struggle of not fitting into anything you own after a month of partying, eating bad, or let’s face it… quarantine.
I’m here to tell you all the holistic, healthy ways to fit back into your favorite shorts without starving yourself or dieting, with just a few tweaks and a whole lotta self love and awareness.
So dust off that box of summer clothes because IT IS ON!
1. Keep track of what you eat with a food journal.
This is my biggest weapon for weight loss for two reasons.
One: we tend to look at healthy foods as ‘calorie free’ and we can easily overeat them. For example, a tablespoon of almond butter is about 100 calories, and even though its full of healthy fats and protein, just a few spoonfuls could be as many calories as an entire pizza. This goes for protein smoothies as well with the addition of nut butters, milk alternatives, plus a couple bananas can all add up quickly without conscious awareness.
Two: we eat in such a distracted way; you might not even realize your habits of consumption are halting your progress. For example, do you always grab a handful of peanut M&M’s when passing that bowl at your friend’s desk? Do you always have a daily 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner and maybe something sweet after? Becoming more aware of habits or lack thereof can be very eye opening in your health journey and gives you back the power to control your own goals.
2. Track your mood and digestive reactions with the food journal.
Tracking food helps with overeating and awareness, but tracking your food with your correlating mood and digestive reactions helps to identify food intolerances.
Food intolerances are super common and digestive reactions can happen immediately or can even be delayed hours to days afterwards. By keeping a food journal, we can make connections between what we eat and our digestive reactions, and even our corresponding moods.
For instance, if you have a negative digestive reaction after eating dairy, which also correlates with a headache (and this happens every time like clockwork) means you might want to remove dairy from your diet. For me, I got a rash on my upper arms every time I ate gluten, and soy would give me gas and brain fog within a few hours.
By becoming aware of how certain foods make us feel, we can tailor our eating habits to cutting out inflammation for our own bio individuality.
For my free food AND mood journal pdf template, click here.
3. Eat more protein.
Here’s a little lesson on macros (it’s easy I promise). Macros stands for macronutrients and there are 3 options: proteins, carbs, and fats. No matter how much, the percentage of each macro that you eat is ultimately what matters for turning food into energy optimally… or into fat storage.
Proteins and amino acids are the building blocks of muscle and is arguably the single most important macronutrient for losing weight. This is because eating protein at 25-30% of your daily calories can boost your metabolism speed by about 100 calories extra per day! (1) High protein intake also keeps you fuller longer and reduces cravings by decreasing your hunger hormones (2). A paleo approach to a balanced macros diet uses the percentages of consumption of protein (25-30%), carbs (15-30%), and healthy fats (40-60%).
4. Stick to whole foods only, nothing processed.
When walking through the grocery store, I always see hundreds of packaged, processed foods labeled “skinny”, “diet”, “low calorie”, or my least favorite, “low fat”. Allow me to let you in on a little secret… if it comes in a package, it is not a whole food, it is processed!
Processed foods are typically full of hormone disrupting chemicals that increase your hunger hormones and are so devoid of nutrients, your body can actually steal existing nutrients in order to digest it. When the liver backs up from tirelessly figuring out how to digest unnatural ingredients, it cannot properly detox and get rid of toxins. Guess where toxins are stored? You guessed it, fat tissue. Always check your labels and stick to buying unaltered whole foods that come from the earth, not a lab.
5. Get in more movement!
Whether is be a standing desk, yoga ball chair, brisk walks around the block, or doing squats while brushing your teeth, incorporating more general movement into your day adds up quicker than you might think! Taking the stairs or parking farther away will become fat-blasting habits in no time. Here’s my favorite daily movement checklist: 30 second wall sit, 25 sit-ups, 20 squats, 15 jumping jacks, 10 lunges, and 5 pushups. It doesn’t matter when or how, as long as you get it in.
6. Supplement the refined sugar.
Now, I know how hard it is to give up sugar completely. After all, it’s in everything! However, admitting to the addiction is the first step. The second step is learning how to supplement in some sweet things that have lower calories and aren’t as processed or refined as our normal sugary treats. Remember, sugar is more addictive than more class-A drugs, so take it seriously. Some of my favorite sweet supplements:
- Dates and date sugar
- Pure maple syrup
- Coconut butter
- Kombucha + LIVE Probiotic Soda
- Fresh fruit
7. Limit alcohol to one or less beverage a day.
Alcohol causes weight gain by increasing calories, promoting appetite and hunger hormones, increasing impulsivity, and storing fat. Don’t you agree? Red wine is the only alcoholic beverage that has been shown to increase antioxidants, as long as its less than 5 ounces per night. However, almost all wine has also been shown to contain high levels of glyphosate, which is an inflammatory chemical sprayed on wine crops to kill pests. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, wine in moderation and limit alcohol if you want your weight loss to stay on track.
8. Drink more water!
Drinking more water can absolutely help speed up weight loss. Not only does it help curb cravings (sometimes our hunger hormone can be confused for thirst), but water also can help you feel fuller.
In a 12-week study for weight loss, people who drank 17 ounces of water 30 minutes before meals lost 44% more weight than those who did not [3]. Being properly hydrated can also boost the number of calories you naturally burn by 24-30%! [4]
The algorithm for how much water is needed is as follows:
(Your body weight in pounds divided by 2) = oz daily needed
For example, if you weight 140 pounds then you at least have to drink 70 oz. of water daily.
Water is so essential and is the most common nutrient deficiency in America, so drink up and feel amazing.
9. Eat more mindfully.
This is a big one that a lot of people miss. Eating mindfully means eating in a calm, undistracted state. When we eat in a stressed or distracted state (like while we are driving, watching tv, or walking around) our digestion isn’t prioritized, however our stress response is. This means food will sit in your stomach undigested, causing damage, indigestion, leaky gut and weight gain.
Mindful eating also means chewing over 30 times per bite as well as eating slowly. The more you chew, the more you are helping the digestive process. And the slower you eat, allows your stomach to signal to the brain that you are full and to stop eating, which sometimes can take up to 20 minutes for the signal to reach.
Remember these 3 rules when eating:
- Eat relaxed, undistracted, and sitting down
- Eat slowly
- Chew your food thoroughly
10. Keep your expectations realistic.
It can be especially discouraging when you set your goals, you try your best, and you still fail each and every time. But have you ever considered your expectations are too high or you are comparing your progress to others that aren’t the same as you? I personally remember showing my personal trainer pictures of a model, asking if I could train to look like her. This is the unhealthiest way to go about weight loss.
Everyone is different, with different body types, genetics, strengths, and weaknesses. Go at your own pace and keep track of your progress. Celebrate the little wins with rewards that don’t have to do with food. A trip to the beach, a face mask, or buying yourself a new clothing item can be great creative way to reward yourself for your hard work paying off.
Most importantly, when it comes to weight loss, you have to focus on retraining your brain. You can sometimes do all the “right” things, but it still might not be enough. There is a connection between our brains and the way we hold onto the things we consume. If you want to get over a weight loss plateau, you have to change the dialogue that your brain and gut are having.
I only know all this because I’ve been tirelessly researching and developing a 8-week group coaching program called the GUT BRAIN RESET. This program was made with busy women in mind, who have a hard time losing weight, deal with constant anxiety, and experience gut issues across the board. Not only will this be a coaching program, but it incorporates weekly nutrition education lessons along with it.
It will include:
Individualized Comprehensive Testing
Health History Analysis
Nutrient Deficiency + Symptom Tracking
How to Find Personal Food Intolerances
Mindset Shifts
Visualization Techniques
8 Weeks of Holistic Nutrition Lessons
The GUT BRAIN RESET is designed to get you back in tune with your body, helping you consistently feel your very best, with a goal to graduate the program knowing exactly how to keep it that way.
My program launches August 1st, 2020, click here for more information!
*This is not medical advice, please consult with your primary care physician before changing your diet or beginning a workout regimen, as this is just what worked for me personally.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258944/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16002798/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19661958/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14671205/
