Exercise hastens your weight loss efforts by helping you burn more calories than you consume. Physical activity accounts for about 15 to 30 percent of the total calories you burn in a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Physical activity, however, entails all the movement you do during the day, such as walking the dog, taking a shower and doing chores, as well as any potential exercise. Although exercise offers many health benefits in addition to burning calories, you can effectively lose weight without it. You may have to accept a slower rate of weight loss, however.
Step 1
Eat fewer calories than you burn every day. Determine your daily calorie expenditure by using an online calculator that asks for statistics like height, weight, age, gender and activity level. Aim to eat at least 250 calories fewer than your daily expenditure to yield a ½-lb. per week weight loss. Avoid dropping below 1,200 calories per day as a female or 1,500 calories a day as a male, warns the National Institute of Health.
Step 2
Add non-exercise activity to your day. Make an effort to gesture, laugh, pace and fidget; these small movements contribute to your overall calorie burn, reports a May 2005 article in the “New York Times.” Consider other ways that you can move without breaking a sweat: take your dog for a walk, vacuum, wash the dishes, walk at the mall or toss a ball with your kids. Increase your daily calorie burn by 250 calories with these non-exercise activities, which yields another ½-lb. per week weight loss.
Step 3
Increase the volume of your meals while trimming calories. Expand serving sizes by adding vegetables to casseroles, soups and pasta dishes. Fill a cereal bowl with berries and half your normal cereal serving. Use vegetables instead of chips in dips and salsas. Snack on fruit instead of high-calorie crackers and cheese. Because you are not exercising, your calorie intake will be on the low side and may make you feel hungry at times. The fiber and water in fresh produce helps fill you up without adding excessive calories, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Step 4
Ditch discretionary calories that offer little in the way of nutrition. Cut out soda, candy, pastries and alcohol. If you trim just a 12-oz. soda, a cookie and a beer daily from your diet, you can save at least 300 calories, which can yield weight loss of over 2.5 lbs. over the course of a month.
Things You'll Need
- Fruits and vegetables
Member Comments