20 ways to lose weight without dieting –

Tired of following a strict menu or counting calories to lose weight? Okay, that’s normal, but you can’t waste everything you’ve achieved so far. The way out, then, is to bet on smart strategies for you to stay on good terms with the mirror:

1. Photograph everything you eat
This measure, perfect for those who don’t have time or forget to write in their food diary, is accessible thanks to the use of cell phones. Not to mention that looking at what was consumed in the previous meal helps to become aware of what and how much you eat and encourages you to make increasingly healthier choices, found a recent survey by the University of Liverpool, in England. “Another advantage is that you also find out if you need to vary the foods more, include fruits and vegetables in the menu, reduce zero soda…”, says nutritionist Fernanda Ribeiro Machado, from Rio de Janeiro.

2. Help the fruit to make you feel full
Despite being rich in nutrients, the truth is that it does not starve alone. The idea is to turn it into a shake. “Beat the fruit of your choice with a measure of whey protein or another protein powder supplement that you like and is free of carbohydrates, because the fruit already offers this nutrient”, recommends functional nutritionist Andrezza Botelho, from São Paulo. Started training now? So, use only half a serving of protein, equivalent to one tablespoon.

3. Try working out outdoors
“As a general rule, contact with nature makes exercise more enjoyable, be it walking on the boardwalk, playing sand volleyball, cycling, rollerblading or skateboarding in the park. As a consequence, you increase the duration of the exercise and you don’t even notice it, spending more calories”, says Viviane Vianna, personal trainer at Clínica de Nutrição Andréa Santa Rosa, in Rio de Janeiro.

4. Adopt smaller cups and plates
Great request for those who have difficulty controlling the amount of food and drink. “But for it to work, it’s not worth repeating”, warns nutritionist Andrezza Botelho. Afraid of not being quenched? “Try to drop the fork on the table after each bite and chew slowly”, she adds.

5. Identify your food triggers and stay away from them
It’s easy to find out what they are: just see which foods you are not content to eat just one and are restless until you see the empty package. “To ensure you don’t fall into temptation, avoid taking your enemy home, leaving him out of your supermarket cart”, recalls nutritionist Fernanda Machado Soares.

6. Workout in the morning
The reason to get out of bed early is that exercise helps reduce cravings throughout the day. The conclusion is from a research published in the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. “Physical activity increases the production of substances that bring well-being and tranquility, such as endorphins, and decreases those that generate stress and anxiety, such as cortisol, situations that lead us to abuse food as a compensation mechanism”, explains personal trainer Viviane Vianna.

See also: 10 Ways to Burn an Extra 1000 Calories a Week

7. Cut back on drinks
“As if each milliliter of alcohol had 7 calories, it also makes you lose control of the snacks you eat”, warns nutritionist Renato França, from Brasília. He has more: “The drink also leads to dehydration, causes swelling, reduces testosterone and increases estradiol, which makes it difficult to maintain lean mass and increases the propensity to accumulate fat”, he adds.

8. Stretch sleep
Recent research from the University of Uppsala, Sweden, showed that those who sleep little tend to eat larger portions of high-calorie foods the next morning. “It is likely that this happens because the deprivation of rest increases the levels of ghrelin, a substance that stimulates the feeling of hunger”, says the doctor specialist in sleep medicine Geraldo Lorenzi, from Hospital Santa Cruz, in São Paulo.

9. Walk more
Strolling should be part of your routine, just like brushing your teeth, drinking water or using sunscreen – regardless of whether you’re dressed for a workout. “It’s simple things, like not using the elevator anymore and parking the car as far away as possible. Even if it burns 100 calories a day, by the end of the week there will be 700 less”, calculates personal trainer Viviane Vianna.

10. Drink water before meals
More precisely two glasses 30 minutes before lunch and dinner. “When the stomach is full, even with liquid, it sends a message to the brain that it has received food. In response, you feel a certain satiety and, consequently, eat less”, explains nutritionist Fernanda Machado Soares. The benefit was proven in a 2010 survey by Virginia Tech University, in the United States, which showed that the attitude generates an economy of 70 to 90 calories per meal.

11. Take the assembled plate to the table
Yes, the sleepers must be at a distance. The goal here is to make access difficult and, with that, prevent you from having to repeat the meal. “The likelihood of giving up the idea of ​​eating ‘just a little more’ after getting up from the table is much greater. It’s just that in this interval you will realize that you don’t need to eat more”, says nutritionist Fernanda Machado Soares.

12. Read the whole label
Going beyond the caloric value of the product, you can make better comparisons and choose the lighter and healthier option. “One of the points that most deserve attention is the ingredients. The ideal is to avoid foods that have, as the first three items on the list, glucose syrup or corn glucose, sugar, salt and vegetable or hydrogenated fat. Only with this care, you stop ingesting high levels of sugar, salt and trans fat”, explains nutritionist Renato França.

13. Transform the vegetables
According to nutritionist Andrezza Botelho, there are several ways to do this and, consequently, increase the consumption of these foods. “You can grill it, instead of sauteing it, and season it with light soy sauce, bake it with rosemary and coarse salt, prepare a light mayonnaise or simply eat it raw seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil”, she lists.

14. Go Pumpkin
Tasty and nutritious, it’s perfect for making a light candy, which has just 19 calories per tablespoon. Nutritionist Patrícia Toledo, from Espaço Saúde Rio, in Rio de Janeiro, teaches: place 1 ½ kilos of peeled and chopped pumpkin in a plastic bag, tie it and poke holes in it with a fork. Cook in the microwave for 6 minutes, enough time for her to break up. Mix with 1 pack of light orange flavor gelatin (which will give consistency), 3 tablespoons of sucralose or stevita sweetener, 4 drops of coconut essence and return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove and add a cinnamon stick. Delight!

15. Give Yoga a Chance
The modality serves both to develop body awareness and strengthen muscles and to control anxiety and work on willpower and determination. “Yoga teaches a new way of relating to your own body and your thoughts”, says Fernando Dutra, a trainer at Body Systems, in São Paulo. Translation: a giant slice of chocolate cake is no longer going to be your first choice for alleviating anxiety.

And more: Tired of dieting? 3 simple rules to lose weight

16. Center the food on the plate
We also eat with our eyes, right? “Continuously seeing a smaller amount of food helps consolidate the habit of feeling satiated by eating less”, guarantees nutritionist Camila Avileis, from Centro Terapeutico Doutor Máximo Ravenna, in São Paulo. In practice, she recommends limiting the meal to the center of the plate (if your intention is to lose weight) or reaching up to three fingers from the edge (to maintain weight).

17. Opt for integrals
The greater amount of fiber present in whole foods makes them more consistent, which requires slower and longer chewing. “With this, you save time and the brain sends the message of satiety before finishing the meal”, says nutritionist Thayssa Lima, from Rio de Janeiro. But for the strategy to work and you don’t have a cold like that, you need to drink plenty of water.

18. When eating, keep electronic devices turned off
“This reduces the risk of consuming a larger amount of food and, worse, without realizing what you are doing”, says nutritionist Fernanda Machado Soares. In time: it’s not just the TV, the cell phone and the iPad that lead to this distraction – a good book too.

19. Schedule the next meal on your cell phone alarm clock
The idea is that you eat every three hours. “The benefits of this practice are to keep your metabolism active, make you less hungry for the next meal, reduce snacking and reduce anxiety and binge eating”, lists nutritionist Andrezza Botelho. But for the strategy to impact on the scale, you always have to opt for low-calorie items, okay?

20. Bet on thermogenics
They increase daily calorie expenditure by between 10% and 15%! Nutritionist Renato França gives three good options: ginger (a dessert spoon a day is enough), green tea (six cups a day bring good results) and red pepper (consume the equivalent of one of the girl’s finger a day). . “Overdoing it doesn’t duplicate the good effects. On the contrary, since it can cause irritation in the digestive system and changes in sleep, for example”, warns the specialist.