Your weight reflects your eating and exercise habits, your past and your genetics. While you cannot control all the elements that influence your weight, you can make a few simple adjustments to your lifestyle to change your body. When you use more calories than you consume, your body burns its fat stores to fuel your activity. To lose weight without stress, do a convenient exercise you enjoy, eat one plant-based meal and drink plenty of water each day.
Step 1
Fit exercise into your current daily routine. Walk around the block during your lunch break. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the door. Or, rather than sending interoffice email, walk to your co-worker's desk to deliver the message in person. A 150-lb. person burns about 150 calories during 30 minutes of walking, according to the National Institute of Health. To lose 1 lb. of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories. With these small changes, you could burn 15 lbs. of fat in a year.
Step 2
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Replace one meal each day with salad or fruit for an easy way to reduce the calories you consume. Snack on an apple in the afternoon. Enjoy the fragrance and color of an orange. Savor the crisp texture of a salad. As you consume less salt and processed food, your taste will become more sensitive to subtle flavors. For faster progress, avoid refined sugar, because it has no nutritional value. After about a week, you will taste the natural sweetness in raisins, strawberries and even broccoli.
Step 3
Drink water. According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration, even mild cases, can leave you feeling drained and tired, and water is necessary to flush toxins from your vital organs and to bring nutrients to your cells. When you feel healthy, energetic and less stressed, you are more likely to exercise and eat mindfully. Recommendations on how much water to drink vary. They can depend on your physiology, activity level and where you live. One general guideline is to drink eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day. Use water to replace sugary beverages to reduce your calorie intake.
Tips and Warnings
- Get support. Tell your friends and family about your intentions. Sharing your goals with others can make you feel more accountable, and your colleagues may want to join you.
- Before making major changes to your eating or exercise habits, consult with a physician.
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