How to lose weight without exercising is a question we get asked a lot at The Slimming Clinic, and we want to tell you that, yes, it is completely possible to lose weight without exercise!
We have a lot of patients who haven’t exercised for years, don’t enjoy exercise and don’t know where to start to incorporate exercise for weight loss into their lives.
So, when it comes to starting your weight loss journey with The Slimming Clinic, sometimes we won’t even consider adding exercise to your weight loss programme, especially if it is not something you are comfortable doing. Instead we start with a healthy diet plan for weight loss.
However, the best way to lose weight combines movement and activity with a healthy weight loss diet. Our weight loss programmes are designed around you, incorporating movement slowly and consistently, setting achievable goals to help you lose weight safely.
‘You can’t out-train a bad diet!’
Firstly, no matter how much exercise you do, if you haven’t got your diet plan for weight loss correct, you will never lose weight.
In fact, they say that up to 80% of a weight loss journey is determined by the food you eat, not how much you move or exercise.
It doesn’t matter how much you move or exercise, if you are eating more calories than you burn off, you will not lose weight. That is why the first thing to think we look at when starting an online weight loss programme with The Slimming Clinic is a nutrition plan for weight loss.
Getting your nutrition right and making sure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to kickstart a new healthier lifestyle and will start the pounds dropping off!
Some top tips on how to lose weight without exercise are:
- Eat three healthy, balanced meals a day packed with vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.
- Have two healthy snacks a day such as fruit or nuts.
- Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and can keep you feel full when you get the urge to snack.
- Get plenty of sleep as when you are well rested, you make better decisions and are more likely to choose foods that support your weight loss diet.
A slow, gentle exercise to aid weight loss
Once you have been able to implement changes to your diet and are comfortable with the adjustments you have made, the next stage of your healthy weight loss programme is to begin to add light, easy movement into your life.
The easiest way to do this is to think about the movement you already make in your life and see where you could make small, incremental changes to add more movement.
- Do you drive to work? Could you park a little further away and walk in? Could you cycle?
- Do you walk the dog? Could you take them on a longer route tonight?
- Do you take the lift? Could you take the stairs?
- Are you seated for most of the day? Could you get up every 30 minutes and walk around for 5 minutes?
As you can see, adding movement to your life to support your weight loss diet doesn’t need to be structured to begin with. It can be as simple as adding more steps to your day or doing something that raises your heart rate slightly.
But what is the best exercise to lose weight?
Once you have added some movement into your life at a comfortable level and you are seeing your weight decrease, it might be time to start ramping up the intensity.
There is not one all-round best exercise to lose weight as it is a very personal thing to everyone. This is where you need to find something you enjoy that raises your heart rate substantially, gets your blood pumping faster and makes you sweaty!
The key to exercise for weight loss is finding something that you know you can keep doing and don’t mind doing 3-4 times a week. This could be a mixture of activities such as Zumba, running, HIIT, weight lifting or simply fast walking.
Whatever you enjoy, make sure you are scheduling in 20-30 minutes of it 3-4 times a week alongside your weight loss diet and soon you will begin to see your weight loss really speed up!
At The Slimming Clinic, we know that it is possible to lose weight without exercise, but we want you to reach your goals quickly and safely.
As part of our medical weight loss programmes, you can get support from our online weight loss doctors in mindset, movement and diet.
They work with you to give you tailored tips on how to adjust your activities, nutrition and willpower, based on your lifestyle, how much time you have and your limitations.
They will never push you or make you feel you are doing too much, but they will simply show you how you can adjust your habits to make sure you are able to find the best way to lose weight for you.