Losing weight is often associated with strenuous exercise. But is weight loss also possible through diet and a healthy breakfast? Or is nothing possible without exercise? These are the questions we would like to explore in today's article. We will not only clarify whether losing weight is possible without exercise, but also what you should pay attention to in concrete terms.
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What to look out for when losing weight
If you want to lose weight, the first step is to set clear goals. To do this, it makes sense to first determine whether you should lose weight at all. For example, you can use a BMI calculator to quickly determine whether your weight is too high, in the ideal range or even too low.
This knowledge will now help you to set a target range for your desired weight. It's best to use the BMI table as a guide, as it shows you specifically what weight is optimal for your height and age.
If you are actually a little above the normal range, a targeted weight loss program definitely makes sense. However, you shouldn't start the first diet that comes along; instead, look for a more sustainable method that will help you change your eating habits over the long term.
Do I have to exercise to lose weight?
As you may have noticed, we haven't mentioned exercise yet. But there's a reason for that. As important as exercise is for your body, it doesn't play the most important role in weight loss.
However, this does not mean that exercise is not important. Because it is always important. Regular exercise keeps your body and mind fit and contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
While exercise helps you burn more calories, diet itself plays an even bigger role. Therefore, in the rest of this article, we will focus more on nutrition and leave out exercise for now.
The most important facts about losing weight
If you want to lose weight and maintain it in the long term, you should avoid crash diets. These weight loss strategies are only aimed at achieving rapid weight loss and are often accompanied by the dreaded yo-yo effect.
To avoid this negative side effect, you should set yourself realistic goals and achieve them step by step. As we have already heard, the first step is to set a baseline. To do this, you can easily calculate your ideal weight using the BMI calculator.
Now you can compare your current BMI with that for your ideal weight and thus get an initial overview of your upcoming journey. It is now important that you set specific goals. For example, 0.25 grams of weight loss per week would be quite realistic.
How to analyze your eating behavior
The next step is to analyze your current eating habits. You can either keep a handwritten diary of your meals or use one of the many apps available for this purpose.
No matter which option you choose, the principle remains the same. First of all, record everything you eat for a period of around two weeks. This includes breakfast, lunch and snacks.
At the end of the two weeks, you will have a fairly accurate overview of your eating habits. How many meals you eat, how many calories you consume, and even how often you snack.
This knowledge can now help you to adapt your diet to the needs of your body. To determine the needs of your body more precisely, you can easily calculate your calorie requirement and use it as a rough guide.
You should now save 200 to 400 calories from your calorie requirement. This means that with a theoretical requirement of 2500 calories a day, you should consume around 2100 to 2300 calories. The reason for this is that if your body does not get enough energy in the form of food, it will fall back on its fat reserves – and so the pounds will gradually start to drop.
These foods will help you lose weight
To actually consume fewer calories than your body needs, you should make sure to consume foods that are as nutrient-dense as possible. This means that these foods retain few calories but are full of important micronutrients.
While macronutrients such as fat, carbohydrates, and proteins provide energy in the form of calories, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients help your body function properly.
While it is common knowledge that vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins and low in calories, other foods are often forgotten. Oats are one of them.
Although oats are relatively high in calories, they can still help you lose weight. This is because oats are high in digestive fiber. These swell in the stomach and thus ensure a faster onset of satiety. In addition, fiber ensures a healthy intestinal flora, which is also an important aspect of losing weight.
By the way, it's extremely easy to incorporate oats into your breakfast by eating them in the form of time-saving overnight oats or porridge, for example. Thanks to the complex carbohydrates and the abundant micronutrients, you will feel full for a long time and won't run the risk of being hit by food cravings.
If you want to make your porridge even healthier and more filling, you can, for example, top it with chia seeds. This popular superfood is not only a real fiber bomb, but also contains plenty of healthy micronutrients and healthy omega-3 fatty acids that keep your cardiovascular system fit.
What's more, warm breakfasts like porridge have the advantage of being easier to digest because the temperature of the food no longer has to be adjusted to the body. This in turn is good for your stomach and intestinal flora, which can have a positive effect on your well-being and your weight loss success.
Warm breakfasts in TCM nutrition – find out more
Which foods you should avoid
But just as there are suitable foods, there are also those that stand in the way of weight loss and should therefore be avoided. In particular, you should avoid high-calorie snacks like crisps.
But even supposedly lower-calorie foods often have it in them. Because it's not always just the calories that are important. The sugar content can also quickly throw a spanner in the works.
While foods with complex carbohydrates, such as oats, help you feel full, high-sugar meals cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. And that's what leads to you eating more of the food and feeling hungry again soon after your meal, which can make losing weight much more difficult.
Conclusion
A strategic approach with clear goals will help you to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. It is important that you eat nutrient-rich foods that will keep you full for a long time and provide you with plenty of nutrients.
Foods rich in fiber, such as chia seeds, oats or whole grain products, are particularly suitable for this. On the other hand, you should avoid high-calorie foods, meals that are low in nutrients, and sugary snacks.
