5 Ways to Get Lean that Don’t Involve Exercise

According to the first law of thermodynamics, when you consume energy in the form of calories, this energy is either stored or used up as energy. If you consume more calories than you need, those calories will be stored as body fat, and if you consume more calories than you burn off in exercise, you will gain weight. This law of thermodynamics tells us that if energy intake is greater than energy expenditure, excess energy will be stored as body fat. 

In order to lose weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit. You either have to eat less then you need, or you have to burn more calories than you consume with exercise. The best form of exercise to shed body fat is strength training because you will increase your metabolism and train your body to burn fat even at rest. A caloric deficit and weight training will promote weight loss. In addition, there are other lifestyle factors that will promote a lean figure. 

1. Water
2. Get Better Quality Sleep 
3. Nutrition – What you’re Eating
   1. Prioritize Protein 
   2. Prioritize Vegetables
   3. Eat More Fiber
   4. Avoid Processed Foods
4. Nutrition – How you’re Eating 
   1. Chew Slowly & Thoroughly
   2. Reduce Screen time 
5. Reduce Stress

Drink More Water

Water plays a vital role in weight management. Water tends to make us feel full and one study showed that drinking water before meals can promote weight loss. Besides the fact that water is essential for our health and wellbeing, there is no harm drinking a couple extra glasses of water to reduce our appetite, as a substitute for snacking in-between meals and to promote weight loss by drinking before meals.

People confuse thirstiness for hunger. When some people feel the sensation of thirst they are confused and try to satisfy that sensation by consuming food. Other sensations confused for hunger include nausea and pain. Consuming food temporarily dissipates these uncomfortable sensations further giving you the impression that they were indeed caused by hunger. So next time you get a pang of hunger, reach for a glass of water before the snack because it may be just what you need. 

A study was conducted at the University of Birmingham to measure the effects of drinking water before meals among obese adults. The findings of the study suggest that simply drinking a couple glasses of water before meals may help with weight loss when combined with appropriate eating and exercise habits. Over a 12-week period, researchers measured participants drinking 500 ml of water either before no meals, one meal or all meals.  What they found was that by the end of the 12 weeks, participants who drank water before all three meals of the day reported a loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs), those who only drank water before one meal or no meals reported a loss of an average of 0.8kg (1.76 lbs). 

As such, the first simple addition to your daily routine is just being conscious of how much water you are consuming. Drink water instead of eating when you feel hungry and incorporate drinking a couple glasses of water before each meal. 

Improve Sleep Quality

Notice how the emphasis isn’t on getting more sleep but getting better quality sleep. A full eight hours of sleep does not mean you got a good quality of sleep, and a good quality of sleep can be promoted with many lifestyle habits and even natural sleep aids. Good quality sleep has a strong influence on your body composition because it affects hunger and appetite hormones and our energy level. 

When we’re deprived of sleep, our appetite gets thrown out of whack because our levels of leptin decreases, which is the hormone that suppresses appetite and ghrelin increases, which is the peptide that stimulates appetite. These hormonal changes caused by sleep deprivation encourage individuals to consume more food which leads to weight gain. In combination with our appetite being adversely affected, we adopt poor eating habits as we tend to crave foods that will make us feel better because sleep deprivation can negatively affect our mood.

Sleep deprivation also negatively influences our exercise regimen because the lack of restfulness effectively reduces our energy and drive. In addition, an increase in the secretion of cortisol, causes our body to respond by wanting to store more body fat. Over the last couple decades, there are similar trends in a reduction of sleep length in both adults and children alongside an increase in rates of obesity. Studies suggest that chronic partial sleep loss is associated with an increase in the risk of obesity.   

Stimulating appetite, craving processed high fat foods, reducing our energy and stimulating our body to store more fat is a recipe for disaster in weight management, and can all be avoided with high-quality sleep.

Nutrition

What you Eat

Simply put, being in a caloric deficit will result in weight loss. If your goal is weight loss, be aware of controlling the calories you consume. However, the composition of certain foods affects how our body responds to what we eat.

1. Prioritize Protein

Out of the macronutrients of fat, carbohydrates and protein, protein has the highest thermic effect which is beneficial for weight management. Foods rich in protein prevent weight gain because they keep us satiated and due to the thermic effect of protein, our body spends more energy to digest these foods. This was shown by one study that measured the effects of a higher protein diet compared to an adequate protein diet higher in carbohydrates. The study concluded that subjects on the higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet experienced increased satiety, thermogenesis, sleeping metabolic rate and fat oxidation.  

Another study specifically measured the difference in weight loss among 79 women and men between 40-60 years of age who consumed a diet rich in protein or a diet full of carbohydrate. The study concluded that a diet higher in protein provided weight-loss benefits. 

If you’re wanting a snack, grab one high in protein because your body will spend more energy converting the protein you consume, plus maintaining a diet of at least 0.8 g – 1 g of protein per pound of body weight will enable you to maintain muscle and a lean figure.

2. Prioritize Vegetables

Prioritize nutritious food. Focusing on eating high quality protein and vegetables will provide what your body needs before you reach for foods that you want. If you focus on getting adequate protein and vegetables, you will reach satiety before you give yourself the opportunity to eat processed carbs or other processed foods. 

3. Eat Fiber Rich Foods

Research has shown that increasing consumption of fiber provides satiety, reduces calorie intake and is associated with a decrease in body weight. One review of 44 studies found that dietary sources containing viscous fiber are most effective to reduce food consumption resulting in weight loss. Viscous fibers are most effective for weight loss because upon consumption, these fibers form a gel-like substance that remains in the gut which increases feelings of satiety subsequently reducing appetite and promoting weight loss. 

Viscous fiber rich foods include flax seeds, oats, legumes, Brussels sprouts and asparagus. In addition, psyllium contains viscous fiber which can be taken as a supplement or a powder. 

4. Avoid Processed Foods

Most people can relate to how processed foods have a deleterious effect on our eating habits and subsequently our weight management. Many processed foods are manufactured to be addictive, if you’ve ever promised yourself just one chip and end up finishing the whole bag in one sitting, you’re not alone. Interestingly, a cross-sectional study set out to find the presence of processed foods in the household and the effects on obesity rates in Brazil. The study concluded that the more processed foods in the household was positively and independently associated with higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity across all ages. 

How you Eat

1. Slow Down & Chew Thoroughly

In Western society, it is no surprise that people eat as quick as possible because time is money, however this can cause adverse effects on your weight. One study showed that the faster you eat will increase the likelihood of having excess body weight.

Another study compared the rate of chewing among obese and lean participants. Before the study controlled the rate of chewing, obese participants ingested more and chewed less than their lean counterparts. When both obese and lean participants chewed 40 times, their food intake was about 12% less than when they only chewed 15 times. 

What you can take from these studies is simply to make it a goal to eat slowly in order to reach satiation before you eat more than necessary. Chew each bite at least 40 times to reduce caloric intake and take your time between each bite to reduce weight gain. 

2. Reduce Screen Time Especially During Mealtime

One study set out to measure the effects of time spent watching television on health factors. Researchers found that participants who spent more hours watching television had higher body mass index (BMI), percentage fat and engaged in less moderate to highly intense physical activity. Even throughout the weight loss journey screen time can be detrimental because after a significant weight loss, screen time is positively associated with putting the weight back on. Further, recent studies are concluding that both children and adults experience a positive association between screen time and obesity. 

Evidently, it is beneficial to reduce screen time in general, and consider the fact that research has additionally shown that eating with electronic distractions can affect how much we eat. One study showed that distracted consumption of food causes an acute increase (about 10%) in immediate intake and an even greater increase (about 25%) intake at a later meal. 

If you habitually eat your meals in front of the television or scrolling on your phone you may unconsciously be consuming more calories than you realize. 

Minimize Stress

In response to feelings of stress, it is common for individuals to adopt harmful eating habits. Stress increases the release of cortisol, and cortisol is included in a class of hormones by the name of glucocorticoids. Research has shown that glucocorticoids increase blood glucose levels, stimulate appetite, and increase body weight. Chronic stress results in adverse effects on body composition and increase the risk of obesity.

In addition to an increased appetite, people tend to seek out things that make them feel better while they are in a stressed, negative state. They tend to eat more foods containing fat and sugar because these foods release dopamine in our brains which gives us pleasure. Research has shown that overeating becomes a coping strategy in times of psychological stress especially with ultra-processed foods that are extremely palatable. To add into the mix, even minimal stress levels reduces our control over our prefrontal cortex abilities, which is the part of the brain that helps us make conscious decisions. The consequence of this is that we are more likely to overeat and make poor quality food choices because we have less willpower. 

Based on the above, it is no surprise that stress and depression are associated with obesity. Multiple studies show that individuals experiencing chronic stress consume more energy and nutrient rich foods, developing visceral obesity. 

Ways to reduce stress include exercise, yoga, meditation, practice gratitude, journaling and breathing exercises. Even six deep breaths will significantly reduce stress and anxiety on the spot.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Drink more water, particularly a couple glasses before meals to promote weight loss.
2. Consciously improve your quality of sleep to regulate your hunger and appetite hormones and to maintain energy to exercise regularly.
3. What you eat matters.
   1. Prioritize protein to maintain muscle mass (faster metabolism) and to reap the benefits of its satiating and thermogenic effects.
   2. Prioritize nutrient rich vegetables, and viscous fiber rich foods to reduce appetite and weight gain.  
   3. Avoid processed foods.
4. How you eat matters.
   1. Slow down the pace of your eating including making a point to chew each bite 40 times to reduce food consumption and weight gain.
   2. Reduce screen time especially during meals to reduce weight gain. 
5. Reduce Stress 
   1. Stress increases our appetite and causes weight gain in addition to promoting unhealthy eating choices and habits. Adopt stress relieving habits to reduce stress in your life.