An estimated 45 million Americans will attempt to lose weight this year through dieting. Still others will engage in a brand new fitness scheme like P90X, Insanity, or CrossFit.
Some people will find success and many will not. In fact, those that diet are more likely to gain more weight from attempting to diet. This could be due to poor diet selection or a frustration over how difficult some diets can be to maintain.
Losing weight does not have to involve switching your diet radically, nor does it have to involve intense workout programs that will leave you flat on your back in pain.
No!
Losing weight can be a much easier process than all of this hardship. Your body will appreciate a much slower-paced approach, trust me! I am the Fiber Guardian after all!
However, it takes time. New York City was definitely not built overnight, and neither was your body. Don’t expect to try just one of these methods and see results immediately.
Positively adapt your lifestyle slowly, over time, and you WILL see results.
30 Easy Weight Loss Methods
This post will give you a good look at several easy weight loss tactics.
These methods (and many more similar weight loss tactics!) will be featured in much more detail in my upcoming Ebook, so be sure to stay tuned for that over the next few months! In it, I will be chronicling the journey of the Fiber Guardian through the ups and downs and the highs and lows of my weight loss adventure. The Ebook will be a practical guide to weight loss, as well as a funny catalog of the failures I faced along the way.
I hope that once it is available you will decide to check it out!
Drink more water
Staying hydrated is of the utmost importance to anyone trying to lose weight. It helps keep your mind focused on your goals, boosts your metabolism, and can even ease symptoms of IBS. I will be discussing the importance of water in much more depth in my Ebook, so for more information you will definitely want to check that out!
Drink wine at dinner or before bedtime
This is good news for fans of the daily glass of wine with dinner! Several studies have show that wine has been shown to be able to burn fat and lower blood pressure. Try it for yourself, and report back on your findings! It might not work for everyone, especially if you aren’t old enough to drink, but it might be worth a try!
Eat high fiber foods
Fiber is one way to eat healthier and lose weight. The great thing about focusing on fiber is that it leads you to eat more fruits and vegetables. In addition, fiber can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For recipe, food, and meal ideas see my post on 75 high fiber foods for any meal.
Find a food that you love that is also healthy for you
There are so many foods out there. If you checked out the link that I just shared, you might have been blown away by just how many high fiber foods are out there. There is bound to be a food that you like! I used to think that eating healthy meant eating nothing but nasty cold carrots and salads. Healthy eating is so much more than that, and once you start to find healthy foods that you like you will never look back!
Focus on Fiber
When you start to switch to eating more high fiber foods, the key is then to focus on fiber and be slowly up your daily intake until you reach the amount of fiber you need each day. Instead of focusing on complicated diets and removing specific foods from your diet, focus on fiber and replace standard foods with their high fiber counterparts. This means eating a sweet potato instead of a regular potato, subbing out fries for some broccoli, or drinking a smoothie instead of soft drink. Focusing on fiber is simple!
Don’t be afraid to try new foods
Add something new to your diet at least every week. It can be exciting to try new foods and to be constantly experiencing new sights and smells! This is especially helpful in finding foods that you like. Even if you try a starfruit and its tastes gross, don’t give up! Just keep trying new foods and eventually you will develop a new found sense of the wonder of food in general.
You can also try this delicious recipe: 15 Health Benefits of Mackerel (+8 Delicious Mackerel Recipes).
Eat dinner at home
This doesn’t mean to eat takeout every night and eat it at your dinner table. This means making your dinner (gasp!) and eating it with your family. I always find that I eat more when I go out, and getting desert is almost always the way that I go.
For example check out this page that shows what 2000 calories looks like at many popular restaurants. Most of these meals are just one meal! And 2000 calories is over the recommended daily value for many people. Stay home and make your own food, and you will save calories and money!
Wait 5 minutes between servings
Waiting between plates is an excellent way to let your mind catch up to your body. It can take up to 20 minutes for your brain to feel full when your body is done eating. This is probably because our primitive bodies want as much food as possible to store and turn into fat for safekeeping. However, you can fight this by just waiting a mere 5 minutes before getting another helping or jumping right to dessert.
Eat something healthy for every meal
This is a very easy way to boost your weight loss goals. Even if you are eating a cheeseburger, pizza, or steak, you can make the meal healthier. Add in a stalk of broccoli to the steak, eat green beans instead of chips with the pizza, and have a nice salad with the cheeseburger. This will help you to start to enjoy more healthy foods, especially when they are paired with foods that you already love.
Reduce added sugar intake
Added sugars are definitely something to avoid. It is not healthy for us to have too much sugar in our diet, yet sugar is added into a lot of the foods that we eat. It takes careful preparation to avoid going over your recommended daily sugar intake as sugar is found just about everywhere. However, you can start by replacing soft drinks with plain water or fruit infused water. This will drastically reduce your overall sugar intake, just by making this one change.
Up your protein intake
Protein is very important for developing strong muscles and recovering from a workout. If you are doing a workout routine to lose weight, protein is very important because it will help your body to repair itself from the breakdown that is caused by working out. The body also needs large amounts of protein to function at optimal levels.
Keep frozen fruits and veggies in your freezer for easy access
I love to keep frozen fruits and veggies readily available to add to any meal or to make a quick smoothie. You never know when you might need a good serving of broccoli for a meal, or blueberries to add to your oatmeal or smoothie. Fruits and veggies that are frozen have excellent nutritional value and the more readily available healthy food is, the more you are going to actually eat it!
Indulge once in awhile
You might be thinking “you are saying to eat bad foods to lose weight?” My answer is an emphatic “Yes!” You need to keep things interesting and exciting, and if you are like me, you still love to eat the occasional brownie or pizza. Eat bad foods once in awhile and revel in the delicious taste.
This advice is controversial, but I strongly believe that enjoying food is key. Eventually, you will start to crave mostly healthy foods because they make you feel better, but this does not happen over night. Give it time, and occasionally enjoy the foods that you like.
Bring healthy snacks to work
If you work in an office you know that the temptation for unhealthy foods is all over the place. I am constantly faced with offers of cookies, donuts, candy, etc. I find that if I don’t bring my own almonds, apples, bananas, and green tea I found that my hunger would get the best of me and I would indulge in these treats every day.
For some awesome snack ideas, see this list of healthy snacks to bring to work!
Drink more coffee
Drinking coffee is a staple for a lot of us. I personally drink at least a few cups per day. Coffee can help to increase your metabolism and help you to burn more calories throughout the day. While drinking coffee does not truthfully dehydrate you, be sure to not replace your water consumption with just coffee! Nothing beats plain H2O.
Find a sport or activity that you like to do
Doing something you love to do is the best way to workout. When my wife and I are playing ultimate frisbee, we barely realize we are doing a workout. We get into it and have a blast. If we had the opportunity to do so, we would play frisbee 3 times per week. Find something that you love to do and then find a way to do it frequently! This is the best way to get an easy workout in that doesn’t even feel like a workout. You will look forward to doing it and will benefit greatly!
Walk any chance you get
There is pretty much no reason not to walk at all times. Okay, there might be some reasons! But the fact of the matter is that walking is excellent for your health. I dedicated an entire post right here on this site that discusses 25 of the reasons why you should Sneaker-Up and go for a walk.
I personally love to walk and I think it is truly one of the most underrated activites that humans do. I know that nothing lifts up my mood better than a brisk 30-45 minute walk, and without consistent walks I find myself less productive and much more moody.
Train for a 5K (or Just Run One!)
Training for a race gives you a goal. When Miranda (my wife) and I ran a 5K on a whim we realized that we couldn’t run as far as we thought we could! We did finish the race, but not in the time that we would have hoped for.
Just running the race was enough to give us the push we needed to better ourselves and to be able to run farther faster. We eventually worked our way up to being able to run 5 miles without stopping. I never thought I would be able to run that far without stopping!
Aiming for a goal or even running a race opens up the competitive side of us all I think. I believe that we want to win and that we all feel the need to find success. When we start setting goals and pushing ourselves we start to see change sooner that we even realize is possible.
Lifting for weight loss
Lifting is key to effective weight loss. I personally lifted weights 2-3 times per week when I originally began to lose weight, and it helped immensely. I lost over 30 pounds and I have never been in better shape than I am in now!
Being sore makes you feel like you are getting somewhere and can be a boost psychologically in my opinion! Even though it might not feel great physically to have a hard time getting up the stairs the next day, pushing your body to the limit really makes you feel like you are going in the right direction, and this can make all the difference at times!
Interval training
Training in intervals can be an exciting way to work out. It involves working out at a high intensity for a certain time period and then doing something easier for another time period. For example:
- Running really hard for 1 minute, and then walking for 2 minutes. This is the method I personally use, and I find that it is good balance between challenging and doable.
- Biking at a swift pace for 1 minute, and then slowing down for 1 minute and then repeating.
- Doing a program like Insanity or another one like it.
The idea is that interval training shocks your body more than traditional cardio. This makes it so your body takes longer to recover which helps you to burn more calories over time, as well as keeping the workout interesting! I find that just running at the same pace can be quite boring, and whenever I run intervals the time is over before I know it!
Do bodyweight exercises
Body weight exercises are easy for most people to do. Even better, you can do them just about anywhere! See this page for some awesome examples of some of the easiest exercises that you can learn right away! Here are some of my favorites and ones that I do myself whenever I get the chance:
- Pushups
- Situps
- Calf raises
- Squats
- Lunges
- Chair dips (easy to do at the office!)
- Jumping jacks
These simple exercises do not require any equipment, and once you master them, you can do them just about anywhere (if you don’t mind weird looks that will inevitably come your way!). Pick a couple now and see if you like them!
Practice yoga
Yoga is excellent for your health, and will help you lose weight by:
- Reducing Stress
- Focusing your mind
- And giving you a solid workout
Yes that last one is true. Yoga can indeed be a solid workout and many would argue it is one of the best all around workouts as it trains not only your body but your mind as well.
Take the stairs whenever possible
This one might seem pretty obvious, but taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a huge difference. I suggest doing it whenever possible to burn a few more calories and to work your leg muscles and your core.
It might not make much difference at first, but combining this with a few of these other small changes can certainly be a positive change for your lifestyle.
Kick boredom to the curb
The problem with boredom is that it leads us to make poor dietary decisions. This is because humans cannot stand the monotony of feeling bored and instead feel the need to snack or do anything to break the pattern of sameness.
The good news is that boredom is easily fought, and breaking the negative pattern of boredom can be an easy way to lose weight.
To do this:
- Find an activity that you love to do. Better yet, make it an active activity as Tactic 16 suggests.
- Join a book club, tennis club, knitting club, running club. Anything that you can look forward to that isn’t just sitting around watching TV will work great!
- Discover a new hobby. Whether it is collecting stamps, writing letters to Santa, or dressing up like a clown, finding a hobby is a great way to kick boredom to the curb!
Get the right amount of sleep
Most people do not get enough sleep. This is no surprise as many of us live fast paced, very busy lives. Most of us also know that lack of sleep can effect us in many negative ways. In fact, not getting enough sleep can have a direct impact on your sex life, memory, and your ability to lose weight.
On the other side of the coin, some people get too much sleep. This is much less common, but it does happen.
The answer is to get just the right amount of sleep. Experts recommend that adults get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
Don’t sleep too much and don’t sleep less than you need. Simple right?
I know it is not. Here are some tips to help you get the sleep you need every night. These arent rocket science by any means, but hopefully one or two will stick with you!
- Exercise every day. This will tire you out and let your body fall into sleep easier than if you hadn’t worked out.
- Don’t eat late. Eating food late gives you energy that you don’t really need!
- Read before bed. I used to do this growing up, and it was a great way to settle my mind and body down before a good night’s sleep. Avoid using a kindle if possible, as avoiding electronics before sleep can help as well.
- Invest in a good mattress (try a memory foam!) or a memory foam cover, and pillows to give yourself a really comfy sleep!
- Get the Sleep Cycle app to monitor your sleep progress and to learn about your sleep patterns.
Focus on breathing
Yep that is right. Focused breathing is one of the easiest and best ways to lose weight. It helps to reduce stress, which we know is a major contributor to obesity. Focusing on your breathing and taking a deep breath elicits the relaxation response which calms your system down and helps you to sleep, reduces stress, and eases muscle tension.
Take a deep breath right now, and learn to slow down and take in the scenery. Be mindful of your body and how you are feeling and increased awareness will follow.
Practical meditation
Mediation is a practice that many of us are unfamiliar with. Every time I hear the word “meditation” I picture a monk in orange robes sitting down cross-legged humming in a monastery.
Meditation is much more than this. It starts with taking a deep breath and and it is pretty easy once you learn how to do it. I like to think of it as taking a step back from the hectic lives we live to focus on what is more important. I personally use mediation and the break to pray and talk to God.
However, simply breaking free of technology and distractions is enough to make a huge difference. It is about finding peace and reaching a good inner balance.
To learn how to meditate check out this helpful guide or see Meditation 101: Practices, Postures, and Pretty Much Everything In Between
Get a pet
Having pets can make a huge difference for many. Here are a few of the many reasons you should consider getting a pet to take care of:
- Pets keep you active. This is especially true if you have a dog to walk!
- Having fish can help reduce stress. It is called aquarium therapy, and it is why so many doctor’s offices have fish tanks in their waiting rooms!
For more see: How Dogs Can Help with Mental Health – Mind Boosting Benefits of Dog Ownership.
Get rid of a bad habit
So many of us have bad habits that just stick around. I would even venture to say that ALL of us have at some point had a bad habit. Whether that be the stereotypical bad habit of nail biting, or the really bad habit of smoking, all of us have had to fend off one of these.
Once you can get rid of a bad habit, and eventually replace it with a good habit, you have taken an excellent step in the right direction towards weight loss and happiness.
It all starts with the determination to make a change, and then taking steps to make positive changes in the right direction. For example:
- Smoke less than the day before.
- Pick a day to not drink soda.
- Drop down to 2% milk instead of whole.
The idea is to take a step in the right direction and start making positive changes!
Green tea for power and wellness
Green tea is amazing at reducing stress. I know, because I have tried it. Drinking a few cups of green tea per day while at work made a huge difference in the stress levels that I felt while at work. I was able to take a step back and analyze things better. Drinking more green tea helped the stress ball in the pit of my stomach that constantly plagued me to go away.
I suggest adding green tea to your daily drink repertoire and you will feel the difference!
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading this lengthy post, and I hope you have discovered a new easy way to lose weight.
Good luck!
-Jordan
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