How to lose weight without dieting

Are you worried about losing weight in the last few months with a restrictive diet? (Years?) Do not do it! Instead, lose the obsession with food and start using these other strategies to let the pounds melt.

Change the focus of your workout

"Stop thinking about pounds, exercise helps you lose," says Exercise Physiologist Tom Holland, C.S.S.S., and think about what you get by exercising. The benefits of exercise go far beyond a simple figure on the scale – and even what you can see in the mirror. "A stronger heart, a healthier cardiovascular system, the ability to make your kids run on the stairs and to be able to say yes to things, that's what you're after, think about that first, and your motivation. to exercise will increase as the weight drops by itself.

Sleep more

Simply getting the sleep your body needs can help you eat better without even trying. Research has shown that people who slept less than seven hours a night ate less sugar than before. Another study found that conversely, reducing sleep time encouraged people to eat more and gain weight at night (any man who always sleeps with a pint of ice cream will not be surprised to learn). These are far from the only two studies available on this subject. The point: what your body really wants to eat is sleep.

Bambu ProductionsGetty Images

When you eat, just eat

When you store the devices, you eat sensibly, says Sharon Richter, R.D., founder of the Richter Reco in New York. "You do not just pick up a whole meal in 20 seconds, you do 20 other things," she says. These are not just meals. Americans eat all the time without even realizing it. You may want to set some rules that allow you to write down what you eat, says Richter, such as "No Grazing" or "Do not Eat While Walking." These rules alone can often save you a lot of calories from your day. .

niserinGetty Images

Be slow

Fortunately, you do not have to chew every bite 100 times. But many studies have shown that slowing your consumption rate can affect your food intake (even in children who have been taught to take "turtle bites" in a recent study). Ways to do it that are not as strange as over-nibbling: Place your fork between two bites or just do not grab another bite until you've finished the one you just took.

Determine what you can get out of it

Explain clearly why you want to lose weight. While men tend to keep their overall goals clear (you work long hours to get a promotion or more money), they often do not think about the end goal when they are confronted to something they want to eat, she says Deborah Beck Busis, director of Beck Diet Programs and co-author of The diet trap solution. "The first thing you can do is make a list of the five or ten most convincing reasons why you want to lose weight," she says. Put it in the notes of your phone or anywhere you can check it. "Then we ask them to read it at least once a day, every day," she says. If you're not naturally inclined to remember why you do not want jelly donut when it's in front of you, this is a great way to keep your weight goals in mind.

What tricks your mind is trying to play on you

"Your heart rate is automatic, as is your breathing, but you are not eating. "There is always a thought that precedes every eating experience," says Busis. Maybe it's "I'm so stressed, it'll make me feel better" or "my friends will really take me over if I do not eat as usual during the game". Prepare your counter-arguments in advance. so that you will not be seduced by the moment. Write down on your phone the list of what makes you eat more than you want ("I do not feel like eating well ") and how you can counter those thoughts (" that do not feel like more: eat well or stay overweight? "). The Beck Institute has tons of counter-argument ideas on Facebook and on its website.

Eat healthy fats throughout the day

Eating healthy fats throughout the day, such as nuts, walnut butter and avocados, "satiates you so you do not want fries or extra calories," says Richter.

Concentrate on what you can eat and not on what you can not

Two guys can go to a party with a giant dessert table, says Busis. "A man could leave feeling awesome and the other feeling bad." One feels frustrated and helpless because he could "eat only a few cookies and there was so much other things I wanted! "The other decides in advance a couple of cookies, takes the opportunity and goes away saying to himself:" There were all these desserts and I stayed true to my plan: to savor two of them, I feel well on my way and in control. "Guess who loses weight without taking it back.