Losing Weight Without Dieting

 As we learned in the last column, diets do not work for the long term in general. They can help you lose weight in the first few months but by the end of the year, the weight has crept back on.  Instead of dieting, why not make a few changes in your life so you end up healthier while weighing less.  

Even if you are not dieting, it still requires a commitment to make the small changes in your lifestyle.  One good way is to increase your physical activity.  This does not mean adding four hours of exercise.  Incorporating 30 minutes of exercise with activities such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the building and walking in, take a nice walk around the neighborhood, or adding some yoga via youtube or any streaming app. The more physical activity you can add, the more calories you burn.

Think about drinking lots of water each day.  It is suggested that you drink water before each meal so you feel fuller and eat less.  Once can also put food on a smaller sized plate because the smaller plate makes the serving look as if you have more.  In addition, think about chewing the food slowly and savoring the flavor so your brain realizes you are full.  You also want to switch to healthier food choices such as lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, etc.

Speaking of eating, eat your meals at regular times and don't skip any meals. When you skip meals, you end up feeling hungrier and may end up eating more than you would otherwise.  If you need to, break everything down to smaller amounts and spread things out over 5 meals instead of 3.  Some people need the mid morning and mid afternoon servings so they don't snack on junk foods such as soda, chips, cookies, etc.

In addition, make sure you get about 8 hours of sleep a night.  When you get less sleep, it can mess with your metabolism and that can lead to a weight gain.  Another factor that can lead to weight gain is being under too much stress.  Often exercising or doing yoga help release stress so you are less likely to eat impulsively.  

These changes are changes to your lifestyle so you are not actually dieting since you are not restricting calories, foods, or the things that make life fun.  If you indulge occasionally, don't berate yourself.  Just start again and move on.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.