Must-Know Life Hacks: How to Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

Have you ever wondered what is the easiest way to lose weight? Or better yet, what is the easiest way to lose weight without dieting. There are many plans which call themselves “easy weight-loss diets,” but most of them either don’t work or are impossible to maintain.

But don’t despair. You don’t have to go on a specific diet to lose weight. But you will need to change your eating habits and your lifestyle. The good news is, you don’t have to make extreme changes, and you don’t have to go hungry on a tasteless “easy weight loss” plan. And you don’t have to eliminate an entire food group or stick to a limited food list; small adjustments can add up to significant weight loss. Here’s how to lose weight without counting calories:

Use smaller plates

Your dinner plate was yesterday’s serving platter. In the 1950s and ’60s, the standard dinner plate was 9 to 9 ½ inches. New dinner plates are 11 — and sometimes even 12 — inches in diameter. That may not seem like an enormous difference, it can add up to far more food than you realize. An 11-inch plate (about 95 square inches) holds a whopping 31 square inches more food than a 9-inch (about 63 ½ square inches). And a 12-inch plate (113 square inches) nearly doubles the amount of food you can serve on it.

One of the easiest and healthiest ways to lose weight is to use a smaller plate, and you probably won’t even notice the difference. Here’s why:

It takes roughly 20 minutes for your brain to get the message your stomach is full, which is one of the reasons it’s so easy to overeat. Your mind uses visual cues while you eat, such as how full or empty your plate looks.  It uses these clues to decide whether you should keep eating. So, a small portion on a little plate will leave you feeling just as satisfied as a significant portion on a large plate.

Fix your sleep

Have you wondered how to lose weight without changing your eating habits?  Look no further than your bedroom. No, we’re not talking about sex. We’re talking about sleep, and how much of it you get. Why? Because sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on your hormones — including the ones that control how hungry you feel.

Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep disrupts the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which control your appetite. It also raises your cortisol (stress hormone) levels and leads to carbohydrate cravings and overeating. Get a good night’s sleep, it can help curb your appetite.

Eat more protein

Protein can also affect your hunger hormone levels, and eating protein along with complex carbohydrates for breakfast can help you eat fewer calories for up to 36 hours. A 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found increasing dietary protein by 30% caused participants to eat roughly 441 fewer calories per day, which led to significant weight loss. So, try having eggs with your breakfast in addition to oatmeal or other complex carbohydrates.

Drink water regularly

It’s common to sometimes mistake thirst for hunger, so you might think you need to eat when you’re really just thirsty.  If you drink plenty of water, it can reduce the number of calories you consume. If you drink sweetened beverages, replace them with water and you’ll effortlessly cut even more calories.

Cook at home

Cooking for yourself has many benefits, but a crucial one is it gives you control over what you eat.

You control the ingredients.

You control the portion size.

You — not some faceless food company or even your favorite restaurant — control every aspect of your food.

And controlling your meals can have a positive impact on your weight loss goals. Packaged processed foods are often high in calories and low in nutrients, and restaurant portions are frequently large enough to feed two. When you cook at home,  you’re in charge of your nutrition. And you’re probably eating sensible portions unless you’re using restaurant-sized platters as plates.

Chew slowly

Slowly chewing might sound simple. But if you slow down and chew your food more thoroughly, it can significantly reduce how much you eat. 

Since it takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to realize you’re full, it’s common to eat more than you need.  When you chew more slowly, your mind gets the message you’re full before you’ve overdone it. Chewing your food enough is vital to the digestion process as well. It all starts in your mouth. So, chew until your food almost becomes a liquid.

Don’t watch TV while you eat

Chances are, you move through your day on autopilot, even when you eat. Your phone, tablet, and television all take your focus away from your food. When you eat unconsciously, you hardly notice your food and eat significantly more than you would otherwise. A 2013 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people who distract themselves while they eat consume about 10% more food. 

The same distracted participants also ate approximately 25% more at later meals. And that can add up to an entire meal. So, turn off your electronics and be mindful when you eat.

Skip breakfast

Were you taught breakfast is the most important meal of the day? If so, forget what you were taught. The evidence suggests that if you skip breakfast, it may be a useful tool for weight loss, especially if it’s part of an intermittent fasting plan. A growing body of evidence suggests intermittent fasting is as effective for weight loss as a traditional diet — but without calorie counting, restrictive food lists, and other stumbling blocks that can lead to failure.

If you want to try intermittent fasting, skip breakfast, eat what you want for the next 8 to 10 hours, then stop eating until lunch the next day. You’ll probably find it’s helpful to choose specific times to begin and end the period in which you’re allowed to eat (known as your “eating window”). For instance, you may want to eat from noon to 8 p.m., or from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Your Takeaways

Each of these suggestions can promote weight loss with minimal effort. Intermittent fasting and switching to smaller plates may have a dramatic effect over time. If you drink more water and chew your food more thoroughly, it can cause more subtle weight loss. These tips can start you on the road to a steady, sustainable weight loss without the need for calorie counting and other restrictions. 

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