There is not magic way to lose weight. You simply must burn more calories than you consume. However, there are ways to trick yourself into eating less calories or burning more calories without doing traditional diet plans and workouts. The added benefit of losing weight with these unusual methods is that you may enjoy the process rather than finding it punitive or tedious.
Non-Exercise
Pumping iron or jogging on a treadmill may not appeal to you, but there are other ways to incorporate calorie-burning activity into your daily life. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, burns up to 150 calories per hour, purely by fidgeting as you work, tapping your fingers and toes as you watch television, pacing as you talk on the phone, using your arms and hands to make gestures as you talk, laughing hard during a movie and standing as you read.
Cheat
Some people take a free day or a cheat day. Relax the restrictions on your daily, nutritious diet, either one day a week or on a special day, such as a holiday. Keep a nutritious diet most days, consisting of healthful foods you enjoy, but set aside one day to let yourself enjoy your favorite rich dishes or desserts, keeping portions to a sensible size. If you tend to punish yourself or give up once you cheat, this option may help you maintain your weight-loss efforts.
Meditation
When some people overeat, it's not due to hunger but to stress. Emotional eating often happens when you have too much going on in your life. You mistake signals to rest as signals to eat. Practice meditation to teach yourself to stop and relax before indulging in food. Sit down in a quiet place, preferably in the dark. Breathe deeply, filling first your belly and then your chest with air. Exhale. Continue deep breathing as you repeat a calming phrase or envision a soothing place. Spend at least five minutes meditating before deciding if you truly feel hungry.
Sex
One original way to introduce more activity into your lifestyle is by having more sex. Having sex raises your heart rate, making it an aerobic activity. In addition, small moments of intimacy can lift your mood and release pent-up emotions, inhibiting your impulse to eat.
References
- KCBY.com; A Few Unique Ways to Burn Extra Calories -- NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis); Charles Stuart Platkin; January 2008
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source: The Best Diet is the One You'll Follow
- Oprah.com; Can Meditation Make You Happier?; Sally McGrane; September 2010
- Oprah.com; Unusual Ways to Lose Weight; November 2005
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