We’ve all heard the advice to “eat less, lose weight”. But it doesn’t work for everyone. How can we encourage people to eat less and lose weight?
Table of Contents
Introduction: how to lose weight without exercise
Well, that’s a tricky question. In theory, you should really be able to set your calorie intake below an average amount of calories consumed by an average person and still lose weight (and gain muscle). We know this is not the case because our bodies don’t just burn calories; they also produce them. So even if you consume an average amount of calories, your body still produces enough energy to support its normal functions.
What we mean by “average person” is someone who consumes around 1,800 calories per day (or about 1400 per week).
For those of us who are into the nutrition side of things, this is probably more than a bit much. And yet there are lots of people out there who think it’s perhaps too much; so let me point out some obvious problems:
- We have a different resting metabolic rate for men and women (women have a resting metabolic rate 15% greater than men’s)
- If you consume 1500-1600 calories per day, then you will have a lot more food available to metabolize than someone who consumes 800-900 per day
- You are unlikely to get results from exercising when you eat at least 1200-1300 calories each day (this isn’t hard math – I’m sure there are plenty of people out there in denial over this issue).
So how can we solve these problems? Well, here’s what I think:
Don’t eat at night. If you want to lose weight without exercising, then never eat after 8pm or 9pm (unless you’re asleep). The idea is that if you don’t exercise during the day — which we all do — then when you do exercise at night your body won’t need as much food as usual and it will burn up more fat stores as a result.
So use this time wisely! 2. Eat protein for breakfast instead of eating eggs or bacon for dinner — protein helps to build lean muscle tissue 3. Make sure that your diet contains plenty of healthy fats 4. Eat 2000-2500kcals per day 5. Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates 6. Drink lots and lots of water 7. Get adequate sleep 8. Avoid alcohol 9. Sleep 7 hours 10

Diet: what to eat and what to avoid
The first step in any weight loss program is to figure out what you want to lose and then figure out how much you want to lose. This is not a simple calculation, because the number of calories you burn each day depends on your gender, and the power of your metabolism. A typical male might burn up to 2,500 calories a day while a typical female burns up to 1,400.
(The amount of calories burned depends on the intensity of your activity – for example, running or biking – and on your gender.) Many women also burn more calories than men because they expend more energy when they sit down in front of the computer. So if you are trying to lose weight and exercise regularly, it’s not very likely that you will actually be able to do it with these additional factors in play.
However, there are some general guidelines that can help you move forward:
- What Not To Eat
- What To Eat
- What To Avoid
- How To Monitor Your Diet
It’s important to note that all three factors – what not to eat, what to eat and what not to avoid – must all be followed closely. If you find yourself eating foods that are high in sugar or fat but lacking in fiber or other nutritional elements (such as protein), watch for signs like bloating or constipation. If you can’t eat anything green such as spinach or kale because it has too much vitamin C (the active ingredient) for you (but vita-c does have other benefits), then don’t eat it either! If a food isn’t listed on your shopping list but has been recommended by friends or family members who follow this program religiously but have lost too little weight despite doing so well (not enough fiber), then be sure they are just as diligent as you are about following this diet plan faithfully!

Meal planning: creating a calorie deficit
One of the best things we can do to lose weight is to adjust our calorie intake. However, there is a big misconception that the only way to lose weight is by engaging in rigorous exercise. In fact, this is not the case. Here’s how you can lose weight without exercising:
- Eat less than you burn (the more you eat, the more calories you will expend)
- Wear clothes that don’t make you sweat (nothing makes you sweat like your workout clothes.)
- Reduce your eating schedule by 1-2 hours every day
- Change what you eat in response to hunger and satiety cues (e.g., instead of eating all your food in one sitting, choose an easy option for breakfast and an easier option for lunch then have smaller portions for dinner)
- Reduce your portion sizes so that the total number of calories consumed per meal is reduced while maintaining or increasing your daily caloric intake (i.e., don’t eat 1/3 of a sandwich as a meal)
As mentioned above, doing all these things may not be enough: if it’s not working, it’s probably because we aren’t doing any of them well enough! All these tips are very good, but too often people stop at “I don’t know how to lose weight without exercising, so I’m going to just skip exercise altogether!” or “I have no time for exercise but now I don’t have any choice but to exercise anyway!” Forget about it! The kind of person who would make all those excuses isn’t interested in losing weight; they just want to feel better about themselves.
Exercise has been shown numerous times to help with body composition and reduce risk factors such as obesity and diabetes; however when people decide not to exercise because they are too busy or too tired they are wasting their money. If you want to lose weight fast consider making a plan on how to go through it step-by-step so that every step becomes easier; this will give you confidence and motivate yourself even more!
Weight loss supplements: do they work?
For someone who is already fit, losing weight can be a difficult challenge — especially when it comes to the problem of what to eat.
One common solution is to combine exercise with weight loss: “if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to do both”. But while this may be true, it’s not necessarily the best way to do it. Instead, we recommend looking at other approaches that might help you lose the pounds without taking up any additional time or energy.
First of all, we wanted to give you some tips on how to lose weight without exercise that aren’t too complicated, so that anyone can try them out and see if they work for them or not.
After reading this article with an open mind, you should be able to find ways of losing weight without exercising in no time!

Mindset: staying motivated
As a rule, we recommend you lose weight by burning more calories than you ingest. The upside of this approach is that it’s easier to stay motivated and stick to the plan when things are going well, but the downside is that it’s more difficult to stay motivated when things are going poorly.
So, some cautionary wisdom from our expert:
“Don’t worry about losing weight. You don’t have to burn all the calories you eat or even burn any at all.”
“Don’t worry about getting fit. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym. Just go for walks and get lots of exercise.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember that losing weight is a process, not an event.”
There’s nothing wrong with worrying — as long as you don’t do it obsessively (like Twitter users). If you’re serious about making changes in your life, we suggest asking yourself these questions:
- What do I love doing?
- What do I hate doing?
- What does my life look like now?
- What am I willing to give up for this new lifestyle?
- How can I see positive change today? (This is where motivational interviewing comes into play)
Leave a Reply