Starting a weight loss journey feels good initially, but constantly counting calories is extremely difficult and a temporary process. Although I tried to follow this at the beginning, I couldn’t maintain calorie counting for long. However, by following some simple and effective principles, I succeeded in reducing excess fat without calorie counting. I am sharing some strategies I tried myself, which you can follow to reduce fat without calorie counting in an easy and effortless way:
Develop the Habit of Eating Unprocessed Food
You need to identify foods that are good for reducing fat, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and certain fat-rich foods like olive oil and avocado. In short, choose foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. For instance, I consumed a lot of cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, green tea, coffee, and some bitter foods, which helped me significantly in my weight loss journey.
Stop Eating Processed Food
There’s a saying: even if you’ve eaten well all day, consuming highly processed food at night or any time can nullify your efforts. Therefore, you must clearly identify which foods are highly processed.
Potato Chips
- Cheese
- puffs and crackers
- Sweetened popcorn
- popcorn, etc.
Sugary and Salty Snacks
- Chocolate, candy, caramel
- Cakes, muffins, and donuts
- Ice cream, frozen desserts
- Sweet yogurt, etc.
Fast food and meat products
- Burgers, fried chicken, french fries
- Nacos, hot dogs,
- Everyday foods-ham, turkey,
- Chicken,Beef
Baked, Packaged, and Sugary Drinks
- Bread, bagels
- Cakes and brownies
- Soda and soft drinks
- Energy drinks, sweetened fruit juice, etc.
You need to carefully identify and avoid other foods that are preserved for a long time because these foods contribute significantly to weight gain and often create cravings. I avoid these foods in my daily routine, which I believe has played a significant role in my weight loss.
Consume Planty of Fiber
Ensure that your daily meals include a lot of fiber, as it is cricial for reducing fat. It slows down our digestion system, which makes us feel ful all the time. Additionally, it is low in claories. The recommended amoutn varies with age:
Men – 38 grams
Women – 25 grams
Don’t forget that fiber works best when we drink more water. I make sure to sonsume fiber regularly, which is found in many foods but i prefered them most:
Oats
Whole grains
Fruits and Vegetable: Carrits, broccoli, cucumbers, bell peppers, apples, pears, oranges
Nuts: Almonds
Eat Anything Slowly
Fully enjoying the satisfaction of eating is very important. Previously, I used to finish my meals quickly, but this turned out to be harmful in reducing fat. However, after adopting this method, I noticed an interesting thing: even with small amounts of food, I felt full and didn’t feel hungry easily. That’s because I would chew each bite 20 to 25 times and take a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes to complete each meal. To eat meals slowly, you need to follow a few things:
1. Chew each bite 20 to 25 times.
2. Take small bites.
3. Take breaks between bites.
4. Start eating while keeping track of time
5. Avoid screen time while eating, such as TV, social media, etc.
Drink Planty of Water
Here’s an interesting tip that helped me a lot: whenever I felt hungry, I would drink plenty of water, which would instantly satisfy my hunger. As a result, I didn’t feel the need to eat anything else. However, you must maintain this habit regularly to achieve this effect. By adopting this habit, you’ll gain several additional benefits that will help reduce excess fat, such as:
• Boosting metabolism
• Keeping your stomach full
• Improving digestion
• Staying hydrated
• Removing harmful toxins from the body
• Benefiting your skin, etc.
To develop this habit, you need to follow a few things:
• Always keep a water container nearby so you can drink as needed.
• Use an alarm or reminder for drinking water.
• Always drink plenty of water before meals.
• Drink lots of water before and during exercise.
Develop the Habit of Getting Adequate Sleep
You might wonder how sleep relates to fat loss, but it’s a vital and essential connection. A 2018 journal on sleep conducted a study where one group was allowed to sleep normally and on time, while another group was restricted to sleeping 60 minutes less for 5 days a week. The results showed that those who slept regularly and properly lost more weight than the other group. Lack of sleep increases hunger and disrupts certain chemicals in the body, leading to weight gain. Hence, regular and sufficient sleep is crucial. I follow an early night schedule as I don’t like staying awake late at night, as it makes me hungrier. You can develop a good sleep habit according to your lifestyle. Here are some tips I follow:
• Choose a specific bedtime every day and prepare yourself accordingly.
• Eat healthy foods and avoid sugary, caffeinated, and alcohol-based foods 2 to 3 hours before sleeping.
• Avoid screen time or social media before sleeping, as it can disrupt your sleep significantly.
• Don’t oversleep; use an alarm if necessary, as oversleeping can disrupt your next sleep schedule.
• Quality matters more than quantity; 6 hours of quality sleep can be enough instead of 8 hours. I follow an early-night method, which allows me to feel rested even with 6 hours of sleep.
• Lastly, use your bed only for sleeping and not for any other activities like reading or working. This will signal your brain that it’s time to sleep when you’re in bed. If sleep doesn’t come, leave the room, read in another space, and you’ll notice you fall asleep easily. This habit will greatly help regular sleep.
Develop the Habit of Regular Exercise
Yes, another good way to reduce excess weight is regular exercise because physical activity along with eating healthy food works double for weight reduction. It is not necessary to choose a specific time for this; you can do it at different times and accomplish it through some habitual changes, such as using stairs instead of the elevator, walking while talking on the phone, or developing a habit of walking for 15 minutes after lunch, etc. Based on the type of tasks you are doing regularly, you can make some changes and focus more on developing the habit of exercise. This is because if you proceed with the mindset of exercising only at a specific time, it may not always be permanent. However, if you adapt through habitual changes, it lasts forever. In my opinion, the best way to do it is walk 10,000 steps every day. This is very easy to track, and there are many free apps on the web you can install on your mobile or device to track it and complete the goal.
Do Not Skip Your Breakfast:
I have seen many people who want to lose weight think that skipping meals might help them burn excess fat. However, this actually works towards gaining weight. I used to do this in the beginning, often skipping breakfast, and I noticed that after my next meal, the amount of food I ate increased, which later helped me gain weight. If you can have a good, healthy breakfast, it will be good for your metabolism, keep your blood sugar levels stable, keep your stomach full, and make you feel active. This plays a significant role in your weight loss efforts. So, if you’re trying to eat more calorie-dense foods, you should definitely try to consume them in the morning.
Avoid Oily and Sausage Foods:
Oil is a big problem when it comes to reducing body fat because most of the foods we consume daily contain oil. Therefore, when you are about to eat, make sure you are not consuming food with excessive oil. In my case, I never used oil while cooking or used only a small amount when necessary. When we eat oily foods, it increases our appetite, leading to overeating. As we all know, oil contains extra calories and fat. So, we must always ensure that we are not eating oily or sausage foods. For anyone serious about weight loss, avoiding these two types of food is essential.
