How to Lose Weight without Exercise
It’s a longstanding belief so ingrained in our minds that those who know better still fall for it.
So many of us start a weight loss journey by joining a gym, signing up for an exercise class, or starting a running routine only to have quit within a month.
Exercise, as many of us think of it, is hard. We go from zero to sixty and think we can sustain it.
And for many of us it doesn’t…work out. (See what I did there?)
Jokes aside, you’re wondering: is it really possible to lose weight without exercise?!
Long story short, the answer is yes, but there are things to consider when trying to lose weight without exercise.
I began my own weight loss journey avoiding exercise and made substantial progress before I decided to incorporate it into my routine.
But we’ll get to that and more.
Here is an outline of what we’ll cover:
Why exercise isn’t that impactful
I used to read Men’s Health magazine many years ago, for all the good it did me.
The only aspect of the magazine that ever stuck with me were the bits that highlighted how much exercise you’d have to complete to burn off a specific piece of junk food.
The numbers were always astronomical.
Go ahead and eat those 3 Oreos. Then run for 3 hours at an eight-minute mile pace. I just made that up, but I don’t think it’s far off.
The reality is that exercise, for those who do it, only accounts for a relatively small percentage of calorie burn.
This means that not only is it possible to lose weight without exercise, I would recommend not exercising until you are comfortable and confident with your diet.
We have a strong tendency to overestimate how many calories we burn in a workout and we use that skewed estimate to justify eating something we shouldn’t.
If you’re just starting out, exercise may do more harm than good.
If you want some extra proof:
There was a study published in 2012 that followed a group of indigenous hunter/gathers. AKA, highly active people.
They found that these people burned a similar amount of calories as the average American.
The extra activity didn’t have much of an impact.
So, what causes us to lose weight?
As we’ve said, it’s not exercise.
No amount of running, jumping, weight lifting, P90X to the power of infinity is going to cause you to lose weight if you don’t fix your diet.
You may know this, but it all boils down to one simple principle: calories in versus calories out.
When you consume fewer calories than your body burns, you create what’s called a calorie deficit.
If you’re losing weight, it’s because you are in a caloric deficit. It’s not because you cut carbs out of your diet or ran 10 miles.
It’s because of the deficit.
And this deficit is what prompts your body to start tapping into its fat stores for energy, ultimately leading to weight loss.
A quick lesson on calories
In real estate it’s about location, in weight loss it’s about diet. It is especially about diet if we’re foregoing exercise.
Based on what we’ve talked about so far, we need a calorie deficit.
In order to get into a caloric deficit we need to know some things about ourselves and calories. We need to know what a calorie is, how we use them, and how much we likely burn in a day.
Calorie is really just another word for energy unit. One calorie equals one unit of energy.
When you consume more energy than you can use, your body stores it in fat (fat is like a battery or maybe a home generator waiting for the power to go out).
Next, it’s good to have a general understanding of how our bodies burn through calories.
The most interesting thing I learned in this process is that most of our calories are burned at rest! Maintaining body heat, pumping blood, breathing, etc expend an enormous amount of calories.
When you eat, your body works to break down that food and that burns some calories, too.
Lastly, our body burns calories through movement. Exercise or not, every step you take going about your day burns some calories, though, not very many.
How to actually lose the weight
If you consistently, not perfectly, maintain a calorie deficit the weight will start to fall off.
What scares people off at this stage is the thought of counting calories.
But if that kind of data crunching isn’t your thing, that’s okay!
There are other ways to find your way into a calorie deficit so you can lose weight.
If you’re ready to count calories the correct way from the start, check out this page: [insert post on tracking calories]
If you want to ease into this, as I did myself, keep reading!
I’m not tracking calories
Now that we understand the importance of creating a calorie deficit for weight loss and how little exercise impacts your daily calorie burn, let’s dive into how to eat to achieve our goals.
The good news? You don’t have to overhaul your entire diet or swear off your favorite foods.
Instead, we’ll focus on making smart choices and finding a balanced approach that works for you.
It’s important to go at a speed that works for you. Going from one extreme to another can be quite overwhelming and will only lead you to giving up.
In general, these are the things you can focus on to start losing weight without exercise and without tracking calories:
- Healthier swaps
- Portion control
- Drinking more water
- Planning
- Keep it simple
- Set up your environment
Healthier swaps
This is the area I focused on when I wanted to start heading in the right direction.
Some swaps are obvious. For example, I stopped drinking alcohol during the week and reserved it for a weekend activity. To replace the nightly beer or bourbon, I tried herbal teas and sparkling water. It was a tough trade at first, but I came to enjoy it.
I also made a point to cut added sugars from my diet and increase vegetable intake a bit.
A couple of simple and obvious swaps helped me lose my first 5 pounds!
Keep in mind, when it comes to weight loss, quality matters just as much as quantity.
Focus on filling your plate with healthy foods. Things like lean proteins, whole grains, dairy, and vegetables not only help keep you full and satisfied but also support overall health and well-being.
Portion control
It’s not just about what you eat; it’s also about how much you eat. Portion control plays a crucial role in managing calorie intake and preventing overeating.
Try using smaller plates, increasing the size of your vegetable portions (or maybe adding some in for the first time), sticking to palm-sized servings of protein, and paying attention to hunger cues to avoid mindless eating.
Note: If you find yourself ransacking the pantry, you’re probably eating too few calories. You should feel hungry at some point in the day, but you don’t want to push it too far.
Drinking more water
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Not only does staying hydrated support overall health, but it can also help curb cravings and prevent overeating.
At any point in the day, if you feel hungry between meals or snacks, drink a glass of water first. It may be enough to hold you over!
Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, and consider swapping sugary beverages for water or herbal tea.
Planning
One thing that makes or breaks our household when it comes to eating better is meal planning.
No shocker here, but it’s not an activity I look forward to each week, but I push through it because the benefits of doing it far outweigh the downside.
Without planning, we’re far more likely to order carryout or, even if we try to be better, we’re stuck with whatever is left in the pantry/fridge. If it’s dinner time and you’re hungry and you don’t already know what’s for dinner, you’re going to default to the easiest choice: carryout.
We take a little time each week to plan out our dinners for the week ahead and build a grocery store list around that.
Keep it simple
In general, you’ll find far more success with weight loss if you can keep it simple. I eat the same breakfast and snacks most days and my lunch is either leftovers from dinner or one of a couple options.
The same goes for dinner. Keep it simple more often than not.
Not every meal needs to be a masterpiece and don’t get caught up trying to make too many “healthy” versions of unhealthy dishes. They are a lot of work, never taste how you’re hoping, and probably aren’t that healthy.
Set up your environment
This really just means getting rid of all the temptations in your house.
Have a cabinet where the candy is stored? Clear it out.
Have some beers sitting around in your fridge? Clear them out.
You will default to grabbing this stuff when you let your guard down, but if it’s not there, you can’t grab it.
How much weight can you lose without exercising?
You may be wondering how much weight you can lose without exercising. Is it possible to reach your goal?
It all depends on where you’re at and what your goals are. You can do a lot of damage without exercise, but your progress will be slower if you don’t add it in at some point.
As you adjust your diet and start losing weight, your body’s needs adjust, too.
What this means is that eating 2,000 calories, as an example, might cause you to lose weight today, but eventually you’ll need to reduce your calories more to keep losing weight.
You might get to a point where eating fewer calories is too hard. So instead of eating fewer calories, you could add in some exercise to maintain a calorie deficit.
How long will it take to reach my goal?
Doing this the right way and actually learning how to eat properly means this will take longer than going a more extreme route like keto or another fad diet.
Exercise aside, you should be able to comfortably lose about 1 pound per week, maybe 2 pounds. If you want to lose, say, 50 pounds, you should expect that it will take at least a year.
Don’t let this be discouraging.
Keep in mind that going slow and truly adjusting to a healthier lifestyle means that your results will stick.
Doing this right means you don’t have to starve yourself, avoid your favorite foods, or skip dessert all the time. Throughout my own weight loss, I have purposely eaten my favorite foods. I have a sweet tooth and still enjoy dessert!
I just do things differently. I eat these foods based on a plan that I control. Those meals and desserts are a reward for a week of healthy choices.
Remember, this isn’t a race and it doesn’t require total sacrifice all the time.
Walking for weight loss
I know this whole thing is about losing weight without exercise, but exercise doesn’t have to be hard. You don’t need to do intense workouts or break a sweat, really.
Personally, I don’t like workouts and I can’t stand running. So I walk.
If you can find a way to add a 10 minute walk after each meal, you’ll have done enough exercise to give you and your metabolism a boost.
Don’t feel pressured to do any more than that. As we’ve noted, it doesn’t make that much of a difference anyways.
Pulling it all together
If you skipped right to this section, here is what you need to know:
Yes, you can lose weight without exercise. You can lose a lot of weight without it. The easiest approach, one that doesn’t require counting calories, is to make small changes to your diet.
Start with some healthier swaps, focus on portion control, and drink more water. Do these three things consistently and you’ll see results.
If progress is too slow, see what other healthy swaps you can make and keep stacking them over time until you start making the progress you want.
If you find yourself still struggling, make sure you keep things simple, plan your meals, and set your environment up for success.
If you’re doing this right, you should be able to enjoy some of your favorite foods and drinks at least once a week without undoing your progress.
Even though you don’t have to, I’d still recommend getting more steps into your day by going for walks. It will help with your progress.