4 Weight Loss Strategies That Don’t Include Exercise

They’re simple, scientifically proven, and a lot less painful than a treadmill

Four years ago, if you asked me how I stayed in such good shape at forty-five, the bragging would commence. I’d try to play humble when I said I managed to go to the gym four times a week, each time running five miles in an impressive forty-five minutes.

Now, at forty-nine, I’m a lot more humble.

Because the running stopped.

I was a gym runner, not an outdoorsy one. And when the gyms closed due to COVID, so did my motivation.

Age and menopause didn’t help one damn bit, either.

Long story short, I let go. Call me lazy (you would be right). Call me busy? Hell, yes.

While others were using lockdown time to get in shape, I was learning how to teach virtually. And for a technological dinosaur, that took up more hours than I can count.

Regardless of the excuses, I’m giving you, the truth is that there is always time to fit in exercise.

Now, I just don’t do it. Sad but true.

But while the exercise stopped, the desire to be back to my pre-COVID weight didn’t.

So, I did what English teachers do. I read. I researched. I set my mind on learning to control my weight without exercise.

And I’ve learned a lot.

I was willing to take the slow journey to fewer pounds for two reasons:

• The fad diets I tried would take off the pounds, but I couldn’t sustain them.
• I wanted simple and easy, a regimen that wouldn’t require copious amounts of planning on my already overbooked lifestyle.

And what I found is that with a few, almost effortless changes, I could take the weight off.

So if you’re like me, don’t despair.

They are still ways to shave off pounds without sweating up a storm.

And here are some scientifically proven ideas that just might work for you.

Drink Water Before Meals

I usually drink about a glass of water a day, and I know how horrible that fact is for my health and looks.

I envy coworkers who carry their water bottles around and go to the bathroom five times a day, emphasizing how important it is to stay hydrated.

But I’m lazy. And busy.

It’s not that I don’t like water. It’s just that I like coffee and tea more.

But I’m going to try to up my intake to at least three glasses a day. (Yes. you water drinkers, I know you’re shaking your head in dismay.)

Why?

Because drinking water before meals helps curb your appetite by making you feel fuller and less likely to overeat.

And an overwhelmingly large amount of research supports this easy weight loss technique.

For example, Web MD cites a twelve-week study where U.K. researchers gathered eighty-four participants and divided them into two groups. One group was asked to drink approximately sixteen ounces of water thirty minutes before meals. At the same time, the rest of the participants were merely advised to visualize being full.

The study found that “people who loaded up on water before all three meals lost an average of nine and a half pounds.”

I’m feeling a little thirsty right now, aren’t you?

Because what can be easier than jugging a glass of water before you sit down to eat?

I can’t think of too many things more simple to shed a few pounds.

Eat a Salad Before Dinner

Most of us have heard of diets that consist primarily of salads.

And it doesn’t sound like a fun way to eat for the rest of your life.

But what if you ate salad as more of an appetizer? As a pre-meal “meal” before you dig into the foods that you find tastier?

This decision to pre-load your belly with healthy greens and vegetables has been proven to aid weight loss efforts.

For example, a study published in the Journal of the American Diabetic Association shows that this tactic is very beneficial for shaving off pounds.

The study involved forty-two women who ate lunch in the research lab once a week for seven weeks. The groups were each served pasta as the main entree. However, while the control group was only fed pasta, the experimental group was given salad as a first course. Some of the salads were small ones while others were larger. These participants were required to consume the salad in its entirety, but then they were told they could eat as much pasta afterward as they desired.

The findings?

“Compared with having no first course, consuming the low-energy-dense salads reduced meal energy intake (by 7% for the small portion and 12% for the large), and consuming the high-energy-dense salads increased intake (by 8% for the small portion and 17% for the large). When two salads with the same number of calories were compared, meal intake was decreased when the large portion of the lower-energy-dense salad was consumed.”

What to Avoid in Your Pre-Meal Salad

Before you run to the grocery store to stock up, it’s essential to remember that what you put in your salad is extremely important.

Very Well Fit warns against overloading on things such as cheese, croutons, or bacon, things which have little nutritional value and a lot of extra calories. For example, they state that bacon on your salad could add up to four hundred calories and around thirty grams of fat. Youtopia Snacks reports on cheese, explaining that a 1/4 serving “has 113 calories, 81 of which comes straight from fat.”

And salad dressing?

Be aware that choosing what dressing to put on your salad is probably more crucial than any of the “no-no” toppings mentioned above. For instance, Eating Well lists some salad dressings you need to avoid, such as Caesar, Thousand Island, French, blue cheese, and ranch.

If you’re a fan of some of these, let me make your choice to let them go easier. Just take a look at the calorie and serving size on the back of the bottle.

It will amaze you, and not in a good way.

Healthline shows the count of my personal dressing favorite, which is ranch. Much to my dismay, they detail:

“An average 2-tablespoon (30-ml) serving of ranch dressing contains 129 calories, 13 grams of fat, less than 1 gram of protein, and about 2 grams of carbs.”

And if you’re like me, two-tablespoons is just the beginning of how much of that creamy dressing I pour on my salad.

What to Include in your pre-salad meal

Remember, your pre-meal salad is not a whole meal.

So what exactly do you include to reap the full-feeling that salads give and still keep it low cal?

As far as dressings go, vinaigrettes head the list of low-fat, low-calorie options. Balsamic vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette, and apple cider vinaigrette are great choices. Extra virgin olive oil is also a healthy option.

As far as actual salad ingredients, a Today article entitled “5 Rules to Make the Best Low-Calorie Salads,” advises focusing on both leafy greens and plain vegetables, stating that they have less than twenty-five calories per serving and are high in vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.

And speaking of fiber?

This ingredient multiplies the weight loss benefits of salads.

Prevention quotes Karen Ansel, author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging: Stay Younger, Live Longer, who explains:

“Fiber helps with weight loss in so many ways. For starters, it expands in your gut like a sponge, so it’s a natural appetite suppressant. Plus, the latest research is finding it has beneficial impacts on good gut bacteria that help produce hormones in the gut that tell your brain you’ve had enough to eat.”

So, which high fiber staples should you include in your diet? Mayo Clinic gives you a specific list.

And remember that pre-meal water I mentioned?

According to registered dietitian and nutrition-focused author Jill Weisenberger, combining it with a fiber-rich salad packs a double punch. She states in U.S. News and World Report:

“Eating more fiber-rich foods while drinking more water is a winning weight-loss combination.”

And I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly going to give it a try.

Weigh Yourself Before Eating

Experts will tell you different things about when and how much to weigh yourself to stay on track and eat healthier.

And while it may not be the most fun option, research seems to lean towards daily weigh-ins to motivate you more to keep “working the program.”

For example, Healthline includes a study that found dieters who weighed daily for six months ditched thirteen more pounds than those who weighed less frequently.

Jumpstart by Web MD elaborates on why this strategy works. They state:

“One of the biggest benefits of daily weigh-ins may be that you can make small changes throughout the day to help you stay on track. You can catch little ups and downs in weight faster and decide how you want to deal with them. For example, you can choose to exercise more or refocus your diet and eating habits.”

In other words, if the number on the scale makes you happy, you can give yourself a pat on the back and know that your strategies and hard work are paying off. If not, sometimes the kick in the pants provided by a not-so-great number can motivate you to do the right thing the next time you sit down for a meal.

However, keep in mind that weight can fluctuate daily, which is why you should weigh in at the beginning of the day (preferably just after using the restroom). By doing this, you’re eliminating a lot of variables that cause the scale to lie. For example, false weight gain may show up from eating a heavy meal, drinking a lot of water, or indulging in carb-heavy foods that make your body hold onto water.

Self lists several other things that can cause an incorrect number on the scale, such as salty meals, hormones, and menstrual cycles.

And even if these things cause the number to fluctuate, daily weighs in over time can give you a relatively accurate indication of which way those pounds are headed.

Write Down What You Eat

Keeping a food diary regularly can often put a dent in bad eating habits. It works much the same way daily weigh-ins do, providing solid evidence on when to celebrate or when to change the choices you make to avoid unwanted pounds.

Harvard Health mentions a study of almost 1700 people. Some kept careful records of what they consumed while others didn’t. The study found that those who wrote down their eating habits lost double the weight than those who didn’t.

They also propose that the best food diaries involve much more than simply listing your food choices. They state that the best diet journaling includes other factors, such as portion size, time of day, and activities done while eating.

By being this specific, you not only get a calorie count, but you also gain clear insights on what your real weight loss culprits are. This knowledge allows you to know what changes you need to make to keep those nasty pounds at bay.

The Bottom Line:

Using these steps in conjunction with something as simple as a thirty-minute walk around the block would seriously up your calorie-burning quotient. And honestly, it’s also something I intend to incorporate when these sweltering North Carolina summers fast forward into fall.

Maybe I will. And honestly, maybe I won’t.

But the important thing to know is that small steps regularly implemented can kick start both your motivation and weight loss.

As a matter of fact, here are some other easy ways to cut the calories in half.

Just know as long as you keep trying, as long as you keep forging ahead, you can still wave goodbye to those of those pesky pounds waging battle on your willpower.

Oh, and by the way, I’m right there with you. So we’ll do it together.

And we won’t stop when the going’s rough. We’ll keep going because it’s the only way to succeed.