How to Lose Weight Without Taking Pills
Find your basal metabolic rate., Reduce your caloric intake to less than your BMR., Join a dieting club., Drink water., Avoid certain foods.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find your basal metabolic rate.
The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories your body needs to function at rest for an entire day.A BMR calculator can be found online that will use your height and weight along with some other factors to calculate your BMR. -
Step 2: Reduce your caloric intake to less than your BMR.
Reducing your caloric intake to 500 calories less than your BMR daily should cause you to lose one pound per week.You can use a journal or a specialized app for your smartphone to keep track of calories throughout the day.
Some apps include Lose It!, MyFitnessPal, Fooducate, and My Diet Diary.
Most apps will also help track your carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake to be sure you are in a healthy range for each.
Never reduce calories by too much or you may slow your metabolism down so much that losing weight will actually be more difficult.
A person weighing 300 pounds may be able to reduce caloric intake by 1000 calories per day, but a person weighing half that much should limit their reduction to around 500 calories., Dieting clubs and services may help you count calories when cravings leave you weak or if you are having trouble keeping track on your own.
Some clubs/services include Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and more.These groups not only provide plans proven to work, they provide support and accountability. , Drinking water can support weight loss in several different ways.
It can act as a hunger suppressant and it can serve as your thirst-quencher instead of drinking sugary drinks that add calories to your diet.Water also helps increase your metabolism and get rid of waste. , Some foods have many calories in small packages, making it more difficult to count calories.
Other foods may have little nutritional value, which would not be helpful when you are reducing caloric intake, because you still need adequate nutrition.Some of the foods you should avoid include:
Carb-only snacks, such as crackers, dry cereal, bread, or rice cakes.
Snacks that are all carbohydrates will lower your blood sugar by forcing your body to produce more insulin, which in turn will make you hungry again.
Frozen foods.
Frozen foods are often high in sodium, which makes you retain water.
When you retain extra water, you may not feel like your attempts to look better are working.
Snack bars high in fiber.
Snack bars with lots of fiber have a tendency to make fiber intake inconsistent (keeping you from feeling full) when you could otherwise get the fiber you need consistently by including a fruit or vegetable with each meal.Foods advertised as being low-fat.
You may think you're supporting your diet by eating these foods, but you may end up eating more, and the makers of the foods often use sugar to offset the flavor missing fat, which can pose other problems for your diet.Fruit juice.
Fruit juice is all the sugar from a fruit — sometimes using several pieces — with none of the fiber.
Artificially-sweetened beverages.
Artificial sweeteners may make you crave foods more, which may contradict your otherwise healthy diet.
Alcohol.
Alcohol may occupy the liver because it is a toxin the liver must work to get rid of, leaving it less able to burn fat. -
Step 3: Join a dieting club.
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Step 4: Drink water.
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Step 5: Avoid certain foods.
Detailed Guide
The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories your body needs to function at rest for an entire day.A BMR calculator can be found online that will use your height and weight along with some other factors to calculate your BMR.
Reducing your caloric intake to 500 calories less than your BMR daily should cause you to lose one pound per week.You can use a journal or a specialized app for your smartphone to keep track of calories throughout the day.
Some apps include Lose It!, MyFitnessPal, Fooducate, and My Diet Diary.
Most apps will also help track your carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake to be sure you are in a healthy range for each.
Never reduce calories by too much or you may slow your metabolism down so much that losing weight will actually be more difficult.
A person weighing 300 pounds may be able to reduce caloric intake by 1000 calories per day, but a person weighing half that much should limit their reduction to around 500 calories., Dieting clubs and services may help you count calories when cravings leave you weak or if you are having trouble keeping track on your own.
Some clubs/services include Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and more.These groups not only provide plans proven to work, they provide support and accountability. , Drinking water can support weight loss in several different ways.
It can act as a hunger suppressant and it can serve as your thirst-quencher instead of drinking sugary drinks that add calories to your diet.Water also helps increase your metabolism and get rid of waste. , Some foods have many calories in small packages, making it more difficult to count calories.
Other foods may have little nutritional value, which would not be helpful when you are reducing caloric intake, because you still need adequate nutrition.Some of the foods you should avoid include:
Carb-only snacks, such as crackers, dry cereal, bread, or rice cakes.
Snacks that are all carbohydrates will lower your blood sugar by forcing your body to produce more insulin, which in turn will make you hungry again.
Frozen foods.
Frozen foods are often high in sodium, which makes you retain water.
When you retain extra water, you may not feel like your attempts to look better are working.
Snack bars high in fiber.
Snack bars with lots of fiber have a tendency to make fiber intake inconsistent (keeping you from feeling full) when you could otherwise get the fiber you need consistently by including a fruit or vegetable with each meal.Foods advertised as being low-fat.
You may think you're supporting your diet by eating these foods, but you may end up eating more, and the makers of the foods often use sugar to offset the flavor missing fat, which can pose other problems for your diet.Fruit juice.
Fruit juice is all the sugar from a fruit — sometimes using several pieces — with none of the fiber.
Artificially-sweetened beverages.
Artificial sweeteners may make you crave foods more, which may contradict your otherwise healthy diet.
Alcohol.
Alcohol may occupy the liver because it is a toxin the liver must work to get rid of, leaving it less able to burn fat.
About the Author
David White
Creates helpful guides on creative arts to inspire and educate readers.
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