How to Lose Weight Without Excercising

Exercise can help strengthen bones, build strong muscles, sharpen cognitive skills and reduce disease risk. It can also make the body more efficient at burning calories, offering a boost to weight loss efforts. For those who dread the idea of exercise but still want to lose weight, it can be accomplished with major dietary changes and discipline.

Step 1

Eat more protein. Protein is a macronutrient that helps boost immunity, it repairs cells and it helps with muscle preservation. When it comes to losing weight, protein is a key nutrient due to its high thermic effect on the body, that is, a lot of calories are burned as protein foods are broken down during digestion. Eat quality sources of protein such as chicken breasts, white meat turkey, lean beef, venison, bison, egg whites, low-fat dairy products and fish.

Step 2

Eat high fiber foods. Fiber is either soluble, which means it absorbs water as it passes through the digestive tract, or insoluble, which means it passes through the body largely intact. Both types of fiber can work in your favor for weight loss, as they create bulk in your stomach creating a sense of fullness. According to the Mayo Clinic, women should get 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day and men should get 30 to 38 grams. Apples, pears, whole wheat pasta, split peas, black beans, lentils and broccoli are all examples of foods that have at least 4 grams of fiber per serving.

Step 3

Avoid "simple" carbs. Carbs that are highly refined are low in fiber, high in calories and sometimes high in fat. Eating these carbs can spike your blood sugar levels and release high amounts of insulin, which is a fat storage hormone. Avoid candy, ice cream, cakes, cookies, pies and white flour products to prevent this from happening.

Step 4

Start your metabolism off on the right foot by eating breakfast. Skipping breakfast can cause you to become hungry later in the morning or afternoon. This can then lead to a high-calorie binge. Prevent this from happening by eating a high-fiber, low-fat meal for breakfast such as oat bran cereal with berries and skim milk.

Step 5

Eat three meals and three snacks daily. Now that you have your diet under control, eat small meals with small snacks in-between to keep your metabolism steady and to prevent overeating. Apple slices spread with peanut butter is an example of a healthy snack, while salmon with steamed vegetables and couscous would be a healthy meal.

Step 6

Drink water. Drinking beverages that are high in sugar and calories can add weight to your body and not afford the same satiating feeling that whole foods deliver. To lose weight, drink water instead of soda, fruit juice, sweetened teas, sugared coffee drinks and alcoholic beverages. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 total liters of water a day and men, approximately 3.7 total liters.

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Step 7

Reduce your weekly caloric intake by 3,500 calories. To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3,500 calories through exercise, diet or a combination of both. If you are not exercising, reduce your daily intake by 500 calories to lose a pound a week.