Lose weight without exercising

Are you focused on the long term, losing weight that also stays off? Then increase the calorie deficit gradually and in small steps. Start, for example, with 10% and increase this monthly in steps of 5%. Give yourself and your body time to get used to 'the new norm'.

Do you need to reach a certain goal quickly? Then start, for example, with a deficit of 25% to 30%. Realize, however, that this can be a very big step, especially if you first ate far above your needs. It will then feel like a temporary effort. Not a norm, but a short term sacrifice to shine at one moment. The chance is high that afterward you will fall back to the old 'norm'.

5.Know the main players in your nutrition

Now that you know what you need and keep track of what you take in, only one important variable remains. The final data point in the holy trinity: the source of those calories.

While reading the following, keep this in mind: if it starts to seem too complicated and cumbersome, our app makes it all easy. Here, however, I like to explain the theory on which the app achieves this.

Many diets focus mainly on this third variable. After all, it is easier to sell a new diet or superfood. 'New' is sexy and exciting.

Chia seeds for world peace.

But a diet should actually be seen as batteries built from Lego, with the structure largely determined by three different Lego blocks.

The thousands of food products are initially just different packages of the same three Lego blocks. In nutrition science, these three are called the macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and protein.

We go into the separate 'macros' extensively in dozens of different topics. Here we summarize the most important points:

Carbohydrates

In the current obesity epidemic, carbohydrates in particular are identified as a major contributor to the surplus of calories. A distinction must be made between complex carbohydrates and refined sugars. Especially the latter can quickly lead to overweight and related health complaints.

Fats

Fats were traditionally seen as the culprit. Nowadays we mainly distinguish between the different types of fats. In that respect, unsaturated fatty acids in particular are seen as the most positive or least harmful. Saturated fats can be less positive for health, although exceptions exist. Trans fats should be avoided as much as possible.

Protein

Protein is the holy grail of fitness fanatics. First, because it contributes to muscle maintenance and muscle growth. Second, because this source of calories can hardly be converted into body fat. In addition, eating protein gives a faster and longer feeling of satiety.

The question now is: How much of that calculated daily calorie requirement should I get from which macros?".

To answer that question, you first need to know how many calories, for example, a certain amount of carbohydrates provides. At least, the app knows that, so you do not really have to know it. To understand why the app suggests a certain amount of carbohydrates, however, it is useful to know that 1 gram of carbohydrates provides 4 kcal and the same applies to protein. Fats provide more than double that with 9 kcal per gram.

In a healthy diet, for example, 50% can come from carbohydrates, while the rest comes from fats and protein, respectively 25%/25% or 30/20. In our app you can enter these percentages yourself after calculating your nutritional needs. You enter the desired number of daily calories and the app then tells you how many grams of carbohydrates, fats and protein you need daily.

Because people can respond differently to the various macros, lowering carbohydrates is the most logical first step for losing weight.

When you use the app to keep track of how much you eat, you can also immediately record how much of each macro you take in. You can do this manually or have it filled in automatically using the barcode scanner.

6. All movement counts

The title of this article is "Lose weight without exercising". However, that leaves all the room in the world for 'movement'. 'Exercising' can be a high threshold for many people. You think of a deliberate time you have to free up to work on health through physical activity. Ultimately, however, it is about that physical activity. The heart that has to beat faster to supply the body with energy and the muscles that are actively loaded. Sport is only a means to achieve that goal.

In various articles I have paid attention to the added value of physical activity during daily activities. For example, hotel room attendants turned out to get more than the recommended amount of movement every day through their work. They themselves did not think they moved enough because they mainly thought of 'sports'. We have also paid attention to the much better health of postal workers who walk all day compared with office staff from the same company. No option to travel to your seated work on foot or by bike? Doing chores around the house and cleaning also appeared to have a significant positive effect on health.

So do not stay seated because you think it does not count if you do less than running four times a week or diving into the gym. All movement counts!

Finally, it is also good to realize that weight loss may be easier to achieve through diet, but maintaining weight may be easier through extra movement. At least, that is what research we covered here showed. Denying yourself certain foods may be harder to turn into a habit than moving more.

Bonus tip: Download the FITsociety app

With the free FITsociety app, you can track your own food intake using the foods in the app. It mainly contains verified foods and you can also add your own recipes with the app. Handy and practical!

If you cannot figure it out on your own, you can also get direct help through the FITsociety app from one of the many providers.

You can download the FITsociety app for iPhone here and for Android here.